Introduction to astroparticle physics
Prerequisiti
The course is intended for third-year undergraduate students
Programma
Messengers of the Universe – General introduction to astroparticle physics. Scientific motivations and the experimental landscape.
Cosmic Rays: Particles from the Sky – Discovery and origin of cosmic rays. Energy spectrum, composition, direct and indirect detection techniques. Historical and current experiments.
Cosmology and the Microwave Background – Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB): from the observation by Penzias and Wilson to the Planck satellite measurements.
The Gamma-Ray Universe – Production of gamma rays in astrophysical sources. Emission mechanisms. Experiments.
Neutrinos from the Sun and Deep Space – Origin of solar, atmospheric, and extragalactic neutrinos. Detection techniques and key experiments. Supernova neutrinos.
Searching for Dark Matter – Astrophysical evidence for dark matter. Candidate particles. Experimental strategies: direct and indirect detection. Underground experiments.
Gravitational Waves: Listening to the Dark Universe – Gravitational wave interferometers, astrophysical sources, GW signals. Connections with high-energy astrophysics.
Multimessenger Astronomy: from SN1987A to GW170817 – Historical and recent cases of multimessenger observation. Coordination among particle, photon, and GW detectors. Impact on astrophysics, cosmology, nuclear physics, and fundamental physics.
Outlook – Future prospects in astroparticle physics: scientific challenges, upcoming experiments, and interdisciplinary connections.
Obiettivi formativi
Photons, cosmic rays, neutrinos, and gravitational waves are fundamental messengers through which we investigate the universe. Astroparticle physics, at the intersection of high-energy physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, today provides essential tools to explore the most extreme phenomena in the cosmos and to deepen our understanding of the fundamental interactions.
This course offers an introductory and up-to-date overview of the main research directions in the field, with a focus on the scientific motivations, experimental detection techniques, and future prospects in the context of multi-messenger astronomy.
Riferimenti bibliografici
A. De Angelis, M. Pimenta - Introduction to particle and astroparticle physics, Springer
M. Spurio - Particles and astrophyics, Springer
E. Roulet, F. Vissani - Neutrinos in physics and astrophysics, World Scientific
M. Maggiore - Gravitational Waves - Oxford