Entering the Era of Precision Neutrino Physics

Dr. Shirley Li, Assistant Professor, UC Irvine Department of Physics & Astronomy

Neutrinos are among the most mysterious fundamental particles, with little known about their most basic properties. Oscillation experiments have proven to be a great tool to study neutrinos. After decades of efforts, we have finally built experiments that are powerful enough to measure neutrino oscillation precisely and probe other new physics beyond the Standard Model. However, as we enter the precision neutrino era, we have also discovered a serious problem: accurately calculating neutrino scattering cross sections. Significant theoretical and experimental efforts are underway to improve cross section modeling to guarantee the success of the neutrino oscillation program.

Colloquium

Junior and senior physics majors attend our biweekly colloquium series, held on Tuesday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. in Shanahan B460. The talks are open to all students and to the public, and are frequently attended by scientists from the other Claremont Colleges, Cal Poly Pomona, and others. The series features speakers from a broad range of institutions and fields of physics.