Exoplanets, XFELs, and Asteroid Deflection: Dynamic Data as the Key to Confident Predictions

Whether predicting exoplanet interior structures or developing strategies for deflecting an oncoming asteroid, our goal is to confidently assess high-pressure phenomena and communicate our confidence as effectively as possible. In this presentation I will describe three key aspects of communicating confidence in assessments: experimenting in the relevant extreme conditions, diagnosing the underlying physics, and a straightforward method of uncertainty quantification. We will use the example of understanding our uncertainty in the recent DART experiment and how that uncertainty can be used to define the most effective future research directions for improving our confidence in asteroid deflection.