GSI-FAIR Colloquium

Neutrino Astronomy: How, Where and Why

by Anna Nelles (Universität Erlangen & DESY Zeuthen)

Europe/Berlin
Main Lecture Hall (GSI)

Main Lecture Hall

GSI

Description
The particles with the highest known energies in the universe are cosmic rays. Energies unreachable by human accelerators. But even after more than 100 years since their discovery, it is still unknown which astronomical objects can create such ultra-high energetic charged particles. Detecting ultra-high energy neutrinos may resolve the problem. Neutrinos travel unimpeded in straight lines, thereby revealing their sources, which they share with cosmic rays. The optical detectors, most notably IceCube at the South Pole, have started the exciting field of neutrino astronomy. However, even these enormous detectors do not monitor enough ice to be able to detect the increasingly smaller flux of neutrinos of the highest energies. I will elaborate why radio detectors provide enough sensitivity, what technological challenges we meet on the way and how the neutrino community will build a large detector to discover cosmogenic neutrinos and move to standard operation mode in neutrino astronomy.
Poster
Slides