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The FY 2002 Budget Request for the Physics Subactivity
is $183.57 million, a decrease of $3.96 million or -2.1 percent
compared with the FY 2001 Current Plan of $187.53 million.
(Millions of Dollars)
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FY 2000
Actual |
FY 2001
Current Plan |
FY 2002
Request |
Change |
Amount |
Percent |
Physics Research |
106.62
|
131.65
|
124.72
|
-6.93
|
-5.3%
|
Facilities |
61.69
|
55.88
|
58.85
|
2.97
|
5.3%
|
TOTAL, PHY |
$168.30
|
$187.53
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$183.57
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-$3.96
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-2.1%
|
The Physics Subactivity (PHY) supports fundamental
research in a broad range of physical phenomena, including: atomic,
molecular, optical, and plasma physics; elementary particle physics;
gravitational physics; nuclear physics; particle and nuclear astrophysics;
and theoretical physics. Physics also supports interdisciplinary
research, including: biophysics, complex systems, turbulence, and
other developing interface areas associated with the core disciplines,
for example the interface with information technology. The impact
of physics research extends far beyond physics as a result of the
discovery of new phenomena and the development of new techniques
and basic tools that advance other fields, e.g., laser technology,
biomedical technology, information technology, nanotechnology, and
many other techniques used in high technology industries.
Typical awards include funding for graduate students,
post-doctoral associates, instrumentation development, and other
research needs. PHY supports an increasingly vigorous effort in
the integration of research and education, including support of
the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and Research at
Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) programs, the Faculty Early Career
Development Program (CAREER), and outreach efforts aimed at improving
links to K-12 teachers and students. The REU program continues to
grow and continues to be very successful in reaching underrepresented
minorities and women.
The Physics Subactivity supports a large part of
university-based research in the physics sub-disciplines, ranging
from nearly 100 percent for gravitational physics to 30-40 percent
for other physics programs. The scope of support ranges from small
single-investigator awards for research based at the awardee's home
institution, to awards to major user groups with principal responsibility
for experiments at major national or international user facilities,
to support of centers or institutes, to support of national user
facilities in elementary particle, nuclear, and gravitational physics.
The user facilities represent important elements of the national
infrastructure for certain subfields: in elementary particle physics,
the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR); in nuclear physics, the
Michigan State University National Superconducting Cyclotron Facility
(NSCL) and the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF); and
in gravitational physics, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave
Observatory (LIGO).
The Physics Subactivity supports major infrastructure
for atomic, molecular, optical, and plasma physics. Strong infrastructure
support has led directly to many important breakthroughs, including:
development of a basic atom laser; single atom manipulation techniques
that offer prospects for fundamentally new information technologies;
the continued development of femtosecond, terawatt lasers for studies
of atomic and molecular processes under extreme conditions, with
many very important applications to medicine, higher speed communications,
and materials technology; and the development of powerful, sculpted
pulses which show promise for providing selective control and management
of chemical reactions.
There were a number of major achievements in FY 2000
in the important area characterized broadly as 'quarks to the cosmos':
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the recent release of new experimental results
on the spin structure of the muon that appear to be telling
us that there is new physics beyond the extremely successful,
but not ultimately fundamental, standard model of elementary
particles;
The "quantum realm" is another broad area
supported in which there has been important progress. The development
of femtosecond pulsed laser systems made it possible to study time
evolution of atomic and molecular systems via a technique called
time-resolved spectroscopy. Simply put, this new laser stabilization
method will enable us to command the time evolution of atomic processes,
representing a major step forward in quantum control that is essential
to the development of quantum information science, quantum computing,
and to laser-based chemistry.
The FY 2002 Budget request includes:
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A decrease of $6.93 million in Physics Research
to a total of $124.72 million. Through the redirection of existing
funds, we will provide enhanced support for Physics Frontiers
Centers, a program begun in FY 2001 to provide critical resources
and needed infrastructure to exceptionally promising new areas
of physics. Lower priority research areas will be reduced. Support
for the Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, a Science and
Technology Center (STC), terminates following the normal STC
sunset schedule. Support of forefront areas of physics, with
some emphasis on particle and nuclear astrophysics, atom-level
manipulation, quantum information science, biological physics
and advanced R&D towards next generation particle accelerators
and gravitational wave detectors will continue. Education and
outreach activities will receive continued emphasis: enhancing
K-12 science teacher training, integrating research and education,
and broadening the role physics plays in new and emerging areas
of research, including the training of young physicists.
An increase of $2.97 million for Facilities to
a total of $58.85 million. This increase corresponds to: (1) an
increase in the operating budget to make effective use of the
Michigan State University's National Superconducting Cyclotron
Laboratory's, radioactive ion beam upgrade project; (2) increased
operating support for LIGO as the detector moves towards full
operations and the first coincidence observations between LIGO's
two detector sites; and (3) a reduction of support for the Indiana
University Cyclotron Facility corresponding to partial support
in the final year of operations of that facility. Funding for
the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR) operations will remain
at $19.50 million.
The Physics Subactivity also oversees the construction
of the LHC. See the Major Research Equipment Account for additional
information.
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