Plenary: NASA and Quantum Sensors

The general theory of relativity and the standard model of particle physics, the two great theories of modern physics, have been extremely successful in describing our physical universe. The 2012 discovery of the Higgs boson and the 2015 observation of gravitational waves are the most recent dramatic successes of these great theories. But as successful as these theories have been, they explain less that 5% of our universe. What is dark matter? What is dark energy? Why is our universe made almost entirely of matter when equal amounts of matter and antimatter are expected? And, why have we been unsuccessful in unifying gravity with the other quantum forces? So far, our giant laboratories and great observatories have found no evidence for physics beyond the standard model or general relativity. Are these theories wrong or just incomplete? Perhaps, we have been looking in the wrong place. Ultra-precision measurements that can only be conducted in space offer a potentially new window on our physical world. NASA is pursuing this space experimentation, testing our fundamental laws at unprecedented precision in the search for new physics and a more complete understanding of our universe.