Honors College Mic
Bharat Ratra, A Shock in the Dark:
The Forces Expanding Our Universe
Thursday, October 5, 2023, 5:15 p.m.
GEAR 26
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is big. So big it holds more than 70,000 people.
Yet, if
you were to pick up Razorback Stadium along with the rest of Earth and every other
planet
observed with modern instruments, you would only be holding less than a measly 5 percent
of
the universe.
The bulk of the mass of the Universe now is dark energy, followed by dark matter.
We are still in the dark with dark energy. The intricacies of it are unknown, but
Bharat Ratra, a
Distinguished Professor of physics at Kansas State University, has dedicated his research
to
determining whether dark energy is responsible for the speeding up of the expansion
of the
Universe. In fact, the discovery that cosmological expansion is accelerating is one
of the most
significant scientific discoveries of the last quarter century.
Ratra’s research tells us that the universe is expanding, and so are the opportunities
to learn
more with the Honors College. Join us and Ratra for an illuminating chat about dark
matter,
dark energy and Einstein’s cosmological constant at the next Honors College Mic at
5:15 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, in Gearhart Hall Auditorium.
Honors College Mic showcases notable leaders, alumni and scholars who share insights and expertise on a wide range of topics. Overall, these lectures foster intellectual conversation at the University of Arkansas through dialogue between lecturer and student, faculty and staff, and the wider populace.