Dark Energy - How to observe the invisible

Each year Lick Observatory brings world-renown musicians and astronomers to the summit of Mount Hamilton for a musical night to remember.

The event activities include:

Speaker: Claire Poppett, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs.

Dr. Claire Poppett is a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  Her PhD training was specifically orientated towards developing theoretical models to predict the optical performance of multi-mode fibers and validate the models with experimental evidence.

Dr. Poppett is the lead fiber scientist for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) installed on the 4-m Mayall telescope at Kitt Peak Observatory.  During the R&D phase of the project she undertook fundamental fiber testing which allowed her to establish requirements and specifications within the fiber system. This work also allowed her to develop a new fiber connection system using fiber splicing that greatly improved fiber performance.