Scientific Colloquium
November 9, 2016, 3:30 p.m., Building 3 Auditorium
KARA HOFFMAN
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
"High-Energy Astrophysical
Neutrinos"
In the summer of 2012, the
IceCube Neutrino Observatory announced the observation of two
neutrino interactions deep in the south polar icecap, each with
energies in excess of 1015 eV, making them the
highest energy neutrinos ever observed. Further analysis and
additional data revealed that these events formed the tail of a
spectrum that is inconsistent with the background from neutrinos
produced by cosmic ray interactions with the atmosphere. While
the measured rates agree with theoretical predictions of an
astrophysical neutrino flux, many questions remain. Where did
they come from? Does the spectrum abruptly cut off just above a
PeV, or is it steeply falling? I will present the latest results
from IceCube, and discuss future plans.
About the Speaker:
Kara Hoffman received her Ph.D. at Purdue University, followed
by postdoctoral appointments at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland and
the University of Chicago. She joined the UMD faculty as an
assistant professor in 2004, was promoted to associate professor
in 2010 and professor in 2015. Recognition has included the NSF
Career Award, the CMPS Board of Visitors Distinguished Junior
Faculty Award, and the Purdue University physics department's
Outstanding Alumna Award in 2013. Her current work is in
particle astrophysics, centered on the IceCube Neutrino
Observatory and the Askaryan Radio Array at the South Pole.
Physics World named IceCube’s first observations of cosmic
neutrinos the 2013 Breakthrough of the Year.
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