Colloquium: Dr. Bei Zhou | FermiLab
In-Person PHYS 401
Location
Physics : 401
Date & Time
November 5, 2025, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Description
TITLE: "High and ultrahigh energy neutrinos: a unique window into the Universe”
ABSTRACT: Neutrino astrophysics is fruitful, as it provides a unique window into the Universe. The first detected---solar neutrinos---led to two Nobel Prizes; the second detected---supernova 1987A neutrinos---earned a Nobel Prize in 2002. The third and latest detected, TeV--PeV astrophysical neutrinos by IceCube, are at the frontier of ground-breaking discoveries, e.g., the origin of high-energy cosmic rays---century-long puzzle. The fourth may be the EeV cosmogenic neutrinos. On the other hand, neutrino astrophysics is inherently interdisciplinary, which involves particle physics. First, neutrinos are the only known particles that guarantee new physics to be discovered, due to their nonzero masses; new physics can affect astrophysical neutrinos, and neutrinos are powerful probes of new physics. Second, neutrino interactions---the cornerstone of all measurements---remain poorly understood. In this talk, I will give an overview of the interdisciplinary field of high and ultrahigh-energy neutrino astrophysics and present what is needed for precision high and ultrahigh-energy neutrino astrophysics enabled by upcoming neutrino telescopes.
ABSTRACT: Neutrino astrophysics is fruitful, as it provides a unique window into the Universe. The first detected---solar neutrinos---led to two Nobel Prizes; the second detected---supernova 1987A neutrinos---earned a Nobel Prize in 2002. The third and latest detected, TeV--PeV astrophysical neutrinos by IceCube, are at the frontier of ground-breaking discoveries, e.g., the origin of high-energy cosmic rays---century-long puzzle. The fourth may be the EeV cosmogenic neutrinos. On the other hand, neutrino astrophysics is inherently interdisciplinary, which involves particle physics. First, neutrinos are the only known particles that guarantee new physics to be discovered, due to their nonzero masses; new physics can affect astrophysical neutrinos, and neutrinos are powerful probes of new physics. Second, neutrino interactions---the cornerstone of all measurements---remain poorly understood. In this talk, I will give an overview of the interdisciplinary field of high and ultrahigh-energy neutrino astrophysics and present what is needed for precision high and ultrahigh-energy neutrino astrophysics enabled by upcoming neutrino telescopes.
