Tomer Volansky
Tel Aviv University
2021 New Horizons in Physics Prize
For advances in the detection of sub-GeV dark matter especially in regards to the SENSEI experiment.
Comments
“The Answer to the Great Question... Of Life, the Universe and Everything... Is... Forty-two.” So concludes Deep Thought in Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The younger me was inspired to name the Question and Answer to the secrets of our universe. We are still searching, but I have since unearthed the secret of the journey. Joy and meaning are in the smaller revelations and most importantly, in exploring them with inspiring friends and colleagues whose creative collaboration over the years continues to be a fantastic discovery. I am especially grateful to Rouven Essig, Juan Estrada, Jeremy Mardon, Javier Tiffenberg, Tien-Tien Yu, and the talented team of the SENSEI collaboration, who made possible the search for sub-GeV dark matter, initiated a decade ago. The loving support in my life is part of the journey: my parents and sisters who blindingly believe in me without understanding a word I’m saying (my fault of course), my children Segev and Hili who make me ridiculously proud, and my endlessly supportive partner, Elinor. With all of you, questioning Forty-two continues.