Lisa Randall

Created by Jennifer Armbruster GTID- jarmbruster3

Personal Background

Lisa Randall was born on June 18, 1962 in Queens, New York. She grew up in New York and graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1980. Interestling enough, another famous physicist, Brian Greene, was one of her high school classmates. After graduating, Randall attended Harvard University where she earned both her A.B. and her Ph.D. in physics. Randall earned her Ph.D. in Pparticle physics under the direction of Howard Georgi. After graduating from Harvard, Randall began her career in Academia with professorships at both MIT and Princeton University. Randall was the first woman to earn tenure in the Princeton Physics Department and the first female theoretical physicists to earn tenure in the Harvard Physics Department.

Scientific Contributions

Professor Lisa Randall's research primarily focuses on particle physics, supersymmetry, and cosmology and is a leading scientist on the existence of extra dimensions. One of Randall's greatest strengths is her understanding of physical models, which she began developing and understanding during her time as a doctoral student. In addition, she participated in research that revolved around understanding why our universe if formed out of matter instead of antimatter.

Randall-Sundrum Model

Lisa Randall's passion for an extra dimension began in the late 1990's. She began working with John Hopkins University Professor Ramam Sundrum, where the two of them began investigating the geometry of space and time. This Model uses advanced geometry to show that both space and time could be warped. Below are the functions used to develop this model.

[math]\displaystyle{ \mathrm{d}s^2={1\over k^2 y^2}(\mathrm{d}y^2+\eta_{\mu\nu}\,\mathrm{d}x^\mu\, \mathrm{d}x^\nu) }[/math]

where k is some constant and η has "-+++" metric signature. This space has boundaries at y = 1/k and y = 1/Wk, with [math]\displaystyle{ 0\le {1 \over k} \le {1 \over Wk} }[/math] where k is around the Planck scale and W is the warp factor and Wk is around a TeV. The distance between both branes is only −ln(W)/k, though.

In another coordinate system,

[math]\displaystyle{ \varphi\ \stackrel{\mathrm{def}}{=}\ -{\pi \ln(ky)\over \ln(W)}, }[/math]

so that

[math]\displaystyle{ 0\le \varphi \le \pi }[/math]

and

[math]\displaystyle{ \mathrm{d}s^2=\left ({\ln(W)\over \pi k}\right )^2\, \mathrm{d}\varphi^2+e^{2\ln(W)\varphi\over \pi}\eta_{\mu\nu}\,\mathrm{d}x^\mu\, \mathrm{d}x^\nu. }[/math]

In summation, this theory shocked the physics world. This model brings forth a multitude of discoveries, but one important development is why gravity is so weak compared to other fundamental forces. The major takeaway is that gravity varies between each of the three dimensions and is particularly weak in the three dimensional brane.

Publications

Lisa Randall has published four books in addition to her multitude of research papers.

Connectedness

I chose to do research on a famous female physicists who worked in Academia because I hope to one day become a professor. When looking for a female physicist, I came across Lisa Randall and was blown away by how much she had already contributed as a theoretical physicist at the age of 53. R Randall's research does not apply to my major as I am Industrial and Systems Engineering, but her achievements do help inspire me to achieve my goal of working in Academia. However, Lisa Randall's research relates to the topics we have covered in this class.

Fun Fact

Lisa Randall has a sister who is just as brilliant as she is, Dana Randall. Dana Randall is a professor of theoretical computer science here at Georgia Tech. She is also the Director of the Algorithms and Randomness Center and the ADVANCE Professor of Computing. Needless to say, the Randall sisters are both notable female scientists in their respected fields.

Additional Resources

Below are links to two of Lisa Randall's lectures. Lisa Randall is extremely engaging and can explain in depth physics concepts in a way that is easily understood by students like me, students who don't understand physics.

The Universe Today- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCbH6MdNbrk

Dark Matter and Dinosaurs- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGi6coLERkk