Physics Colloquium: Denver Whittington

Professor Denver Whittington, Department of Physics at Syracuse University

“How to catch a Neutrino”

Abstract:
Neutrino experiments seek to measure fundamental properties of these often-elusory subatomic particles. In doing so, researchers must build massive particle detectors to capture handfuls of fleeting interactions and piece together answers over the course of years. However, these projects also offer a wide variety of opportunities to contribute to areas of physics ranging from the subatomic all the way to astrophysical scales. They also demand novel and creative detector research and development, building on established techniques and pioneering new ones. This talk will explore these topics through the lens of the largest long-baseline neutrino experiments in the U.S. – NOvA and DUNE. I will give a brief overview of neutrinos, accelerator-based neutrino experiments, and some of the physics insights we hope to gain from this sector of the quantum realm.