Physics of particles, stars, black holes, gravity, nuclear waste policy and more

College Park, MD, March 27, 2009 -- The April Meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) will take place from May 2-5, 2009 at the Sheraton Denver Hotel in downtown Denver. This is the second of the two largest general physics meetings of the year and is focused on cutting edge research in particle physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics, and plasma physics. In addition, there will be a wide variety of sessions devoted to education, national security, energy research, and other social issues.

The 2009 International Sherwood Fusion Theory Conference will be held jointly with the April APS meeting. Sherwood sessions begin on Sunday, May 3, covering topics related to plasma-based fusion. Associated APS Division of Plasma Physics sessions will discuss diagnosing the physics of burning plasma, plasma heating from turbulence, and imaging of advanced accelerators. (See sessions G15, H15, Q15, W15 and poster sessions K1, S1).

Information about registration for journalists who wish to attend the APS April meeting is located at the bottom of this news release.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MEETING

1. Four Hundred Years of Telescopes
2. Measuring Climate Change with Gravity
3. Terahertz Snapshots of Accelerator Beams
4. Latest from the Pierre Auger Observatory
5. A View of the Sky Through Neutrinos
6. Teaching Physics with the Arts
7. Balloons over Antarctica Detect Cosmic Rays
8. A Rainbow of Gravitational Waves
9. In Search of Gravity's Limits
10. The Death of a Star
11. The Short Life of an Extreme Atom
12. Public Lecture: Death from the Skies with the Bad Astronomer
13. Plenary Sessions
14. Touching Base with the LHC
15. The Search for Dark Matter
16. Physics and Society
17. Managing Nuclear Fuel
18. Nuclear Physics in Second Life
19. Registering as a Journalist

1) FOUR HUNDRED YEARS OF TELESCOPES

In 1609, Galileo Galilei discovered the moons of Jupiter, mountains on our own moon, and other celestial objects using a telescope that he perfected. His scientific version of the telescope and the systematic studies he publicly published (in "The Starry Messenger," which appeared in 1610) are regarded by some historians regard as the first full demonstration of the scientific method. To mark this occasion, Caltech astronomer Richard Ellis will deliver a keynote address surveying the march of progress from Galileo's simple instrument to the giant optical telescopes of today. (Session N1, http://www.aps.org/meetings/april/events/spec-sessions/keynote.cfm).

2) MEASURING CLIMATE CHANGE WITH GRAVITY