Maria Spiropulu
Encyclopedia
Maria Spiropulu born in 1970 in Kastoria
, a mountain town in West Macedonia
, is an experimental physicist
at Caltech and CERN
, the Europe
an high-energy physics laboratory outside Geneva
, and is working on experiments for the Large Hadron Collider
. These experiments are designed to test some of the most imaginative and far reaching ideas ever proposed in physics
. She describes her work as part of the search to discover the origins of the universe.
Maria Spiropulu received her Bachelor’s degree from the Physics Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
in 1993. She had already begun research activity from 1991, working as a technical assistant at CERN’S DELPHI and later at BESSY, the synchrotron
laboratory in Berlin
, Germany
. After graduation she went to Harvard University
for her PhD
in particle physics
.
For the next seven years her time was shared between Boston and Batavia, Illinois
, home of Tevatron
, the world’s highest energy particle accelerator
at that time, where she worked for the Collider
Detector at Fermilab
(CDF) experiment. For her Doctoral thesis, which was completed on August 21, 2000, Spiropulu developed a blind analysis method, to search the accelerator’s output data for evidence of supersymmetry
.
Throughout her “schooling”, she had other interests. In her early teens, she wanted to be an F-16 pilot and then an astronaut. She played drums and sang for a Fermilab band called "Drug Sniffing Dogs" (a particularly exotic band, where her signature songs were Time Flies (Vaya Con Dios)
and a cover of the Squirrel Nut Zippers
"Hell"), until she was expelled for not attending rehearsals. She also practiced for several years in martial arts
, especially karate
, and later went on her way by doing kick boxing.
With a PhD from Harvard, Maria Spiropulu joined the University of Chicago
in 2001, and began searching for spatial extra-dimensions. Her analysis was based on Tevatron data obtained from 1992 to 1996. She was offered a research physicist position at CERN
in 2003, while she was conducting extra dimensions analyses with Run II
data. On September 19, 2003, she reported, along with Kevin Burkett of Harvard, that any extra-dimensions, if they exist, must be curled up into circles smaller than a hundredth of an inch. In 2009 she was honored as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
for "pioneering efforts in the experimental search for supersymmetry and extra dimensions."
The hunting for physics beyond the Standard Model
, including signals for supersymmetry and extra dimensions / Kaluza-Klein gravitons
, led Maria Spiropulu, in 2004, back to Geneva and CERN, where the Large Hadron Collider
will achieve an energy seven times larger than Tevatron. There, together with thousands of physicists, she helps prepare for a revolution she says “will blow our minds”.
Kastoria
Kastoria is a city in northern Greece in the periphery of West Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria peripheral unit. It is situated on a promontory on the western shore of Lake Orestiada, in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains...
, a mountain town in West Macedonia
West Macedonia
West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...
, is an experimental physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
at Caltech and CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
, the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an high-energy physics laboratory outside Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, and is working on experiments for the Large Hadron Collider
Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It is expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing the understanding of the deepest laws of nature....
. These experiments are designed to test some of the most imaginative and far reaching ideas ever proposed in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. She describes her work as part of the search to discover the origins of the universe.
Maria Spiropulu received her Bachelor’s degree from the Physics Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is the largest Greek university, and the largest university in the Balkans. It was named after the philosopher Aristotle, who was born in Stageira, Chalcidice, about 55 km east of Thessaloniki, in Central Macedonia...
in 1993. She had already begun research activity from 1991, working as a technical assistant at CERN’S DELPHI and later at BESSY, the synchrotron
Synchrotron
A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator in which the magnetic field and the electric field are carefully synchronised with the travelling particle beam. The proton synchrotron was originally conceived by Sir Marcus Oliphant...
laboratory in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. After graduation she went to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
for her PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in particle physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
.
For the next seven years her time was shared between Boston and Batavia, Illinois
Batavia, Illinois
Batavia was founded in 1833, and is the oldest city in Kane County, Illinois, with a small portion in DuPage County. During the Industrial Revolution, Batavia became known as ‘The Windmill City’ for being the largest windmill producer of the time...
, home of Tevatron
Tevatron
The Tevatron is a circular particle accelerator in the United States, at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory , just east of Batavia, Illinois, and is the second highest energy particle collider in the world after the Large Hadron Collider...
, the world’s highest energy particle accelerator
Particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams. An ordinary CRT television set is a simple form of accelerator. There are two basic types: electrostatic and oscillating field accelerators.In...
at that time, where she worked for the Collider
Collider
A collider is a type of a particle accelerator involving directed beams of particles.Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators.-Explanation:...
Detector at Fermilab
Fermilab
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory , located just outside Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a US Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics...
(CDF) experiment. For her Doctoral thesis, which was completed on August 21, 2000, Spiropulu developed a blind analysis method, to search the accelerator’s output data for evidence of supersymmetry
Supersymmetry
In particle physics, supersymmetry is a symmetry that relates elementary particles of one spin to other particles that differ by half a unit of spin and are known as superpartners...
.
Throughout her “schooling”, she had other interests. In her early teens, she wanted to be an F-16 pilot and then an astronaut. She played drums and sang for a Fermilab band called "Drug Sniffing Dogs" (a particularly exotic band, where her signature songs were Time Flies (Vaya Con Dios)
Time Flies
Time Flies was an American straight edge hardcore punk band from Virginia in the late 1990s and the height of the youth crew revival . They shared members with the band Count Me Out, also from Virginia...
and a cover of the Squirrel Nut Zippers
Squirrel Nut Zippers
The Squirrel Nut Zippers are a band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by James "Jimbo" Mathus , Katharine Whalen , Chris Phillips on drums, Don Raleigh on bass and sideman Ken Mosher....
"Hell"), until she was expelled for not attending rehearsals. She also practiced for several years in martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
, especially karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, and later went on her way by doing kick boxing.
With a PhD from Harvard, Maria Spiropulu joined the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 2001, and began searching for spatial extra-dimensions. Her analysis was based on Tevatron data obtained from 1992 to 1996. She was offered a research physicist position at CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
in 2003, while she was conducting extra dimensions analyses with Run II
Collider Detector at Fermilab
The Collider Detector at Fermilab experimental collaboration studies high energy particle collisions at the Tevatron,the world's former highest-energy particle accelerator...
data. On September 19, 2003, she reported, along with Kevin Burkett of Harvard, that any extra-dimensions, if they exist, must be curled up into circles smaller than a hundredth of an inch. In 2009 she was honored as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
for "pioneering efforts in the experimental search for supersymmetry and extra dimensions."
The hunting for physics beyond the Standard Model
Standard Model
The Standard Model of particle physics is a theory concerning the electromagnetic, weak, and strong nuclear interactions, which mediate the dynamics of the known subatomic particles. Developed throughout the mid to late 20th century, the current formulation was finalized in the mid 1970s upon...
, including signals for supersymmetry and extra dimensions / Kaluza-Klein gravitons
Kaluza–Klein theory
In physics, Kaluza–Klein theory is a model that seeks to unify the two fundamental forces of gravitation and electromagnetism. The theory was first published in 1921. It was proposed by the mathematician Theodor Kaluza who extended general relativity to a five-dimensional spacetime...
, led Maria Spiropulu, in 2004, back to Geneva and CERN, where the Large Hadron Collider
Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It is expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing the understanding of the deepest laws of nature....
will achieve an energy seven times larger than Tevatron. There, together with thousands of physicists, she helps prepare for a revolution she says “will blow our minds”.
Publications
- M. Spiropulu (2004). Experimental Status of Beyond the Standard Model Collider Searches. Czech. J. Phys. 54. http://www.arxiv.org/abs/hep-ex/0505003
- M. Spiropulu (2003). Collider Experiment: Strings, Branes and Extra Dimensions. http://arxiv.org/abs/hep-ex/0305019
- J. Hewett, and M. Spiropulu (2002). Particle Physics Probes Of Extra Spacetime Dimensions. Ann. Rev. Nucl. Part. Phys. http://arxiv.org/abs/hep-ph/0205106
- T. Affolder et al. (2002). The CDF Collaboration. Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 241802
- M. Spiropulu (2000). Harvard University Ph.D thesis
External links
- Physics of the Universe Summit
- CMS Shift Leader, first collisions at world record energy
- "SCIENTIST AT WORK -- Maria Spiropulu; Other Dimensions? She's in Pursuit" - from The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, September 30, 2003 - In search of extra dimensions
- The Official Maria Spiropulu Appreciation Page
- Spiropulu's page at CERN
- Maria Spiropulu's Edge Bio Page
- Video of Spiropulu's lecture The Universe in Collisions at the Kavli Institute.