August 3 – 15, 2025 – Johns Hopkins University, Homewood Campus, Baltimore, MD

Program

The field of fundamental physics has been energized in the past decade by the emergence of a number of innovative experimental methods to detect a variety of new physics. These include methods to detect gravitational waves and dark matter over a wide frequency/mass range, the search for new fundamental forces and interactions, tests of fundamental symmetries of nature, novel probes of dark energy, and new experimental tests of quantum mechanics. Broadly, these techniques leverage the power of various quantum sensing and precision measurement platforms to achieve the goals of fundamental physics. The summer school lectures will cover these areas, designed for any student who has a solid understanding of junior undergraduate physics.

The detailed scientific program will be posted shortly.

Schedule

August 3 (Sunday) – Arrival 

August 4 (Monday) – 8 (Friday) and August 11 (Monday) – 15 (Friday)

8 – 9 AM: Breakfast

9 AM – 10 AM: Lecture

10 – 11: Coffee Break/Discussion

11 AM – 12 PM: Lecture

12 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch/Discussion 

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Lecture

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Coffee Break/Discussion

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM: Lecture

August 9 and 10 (Saturday and Sunday)

JHU lab tours and potential weekend day trips to sights in the Baltimore/Washington area 

August 16 (Saturday) – Departure

List of confirmed speakers

  • Gratta, Giorgio (Stanford): Levitated sensors
  • Aspelmeyer, Markus (University of Vienna): Tests of Quantum Mechanics
  • Xu, Victoria (UC Berkeley): Quantum optics
  • Sundrum, Raman (UMD): Theory, High scale physics
  • Van Tilberg, Ken (NYU): Theory, Dark matter
  • Fan, Xing (Harvard): Trapped Ions
  • Levine, Harry (UC Berkeley): Optical Tweezers
  • Walsworth, Ronald (UMD): Solid State Sensors
  • Thompson, James (JILA): Quantum metrology
  • Graham, Peter (Stanford): Theory, gravitational wave detection
  • Norcini, Danielle (JHU): Direct dark matter detection
  • Overstreet, Chris (JHU): Atom Interferometry
  • Sushkov, Alex (JHU): Precision measurements and magnetic resonance
  • DeMille, Dave (JHU): Molecules
  • Rajendran, Surjeet (JHU): Quantum mechanics and its extensions
  • Kaplan, David (JHU): Gravitation and its extensions

Venue

The summer school will be held on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus, with accommodation provided at nearby hotels.

Application

Costs are covered for undergraduate students, and need-based support is available for graduate students and postdocs.