Events on Friday, March 27th, 2026
- Physics Department Colloquium
- Neutrinos in the Universe
- Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- Place: Chamberlin 2241
- Speaker: Cecilia Lunardini, Arizona State University
- Abstract: Neutrinos are unique cosmic messengers. Produced in the most extreme environments in the Universe, they escape dense astrophysical regions that are opaque to photons and carry information across vast cosmological distances. Over the past decade, neutrino astronomy has expanded dramatically, opening new windows on phenomena ranging from core-collapse supernovae to the highest-energy cosmic accelerators. I will present a broad view of neutrino astrophysics across the energy spectrum — from MeV neutrinos emitted in stellar explosions to TeV–PeV neutrinos observed from powerful extragalactic sources. I will emphasize the multimessenger perspective, highlighting the connections between neutrinos, electromagnetic signals, cosmic rays and gravitational waves. In particular, I will discuss how neutrinos and gravitational waves together probe the physics of compact objects, stellar collapse, and the dynamics of extreme cosmic environments. I will also outline future developments in neutrino detection and multimessenger astronomy, and how next-generation experiments will deepen our understanding of fundamental physics and astrophysics alike.
- Host: Ke Fang