Introduction to astroparticle physics
Prerequisiti
The course is mainly intended for third-year undergraduate students.
Programma
Messengers of the Universe – General introduction to astroparticle physics. Scientific motivations and experimental landscape.
Neutrinos from the Sun and Deep Space – Solar, atmospheric, and extragalactic neutrinos. Neutrino oscillations. Detection techniques and key experiments. Supernova 1987A.
Gravitational Waves: Listening to the Dark Universe – Gravitational interferometers, astrophysical sources, GW signals. Connections with high-energy astrophysics.
The High-Energy Universe: Cosmic Rays and Gamma Rays
Multimessenger Astronomy: From SN1987A to GW170817 – Historical and recent cases of multimessenger observations. Coordination among particle, photon, and GW detectors. Impact on astrophysics, cosmology, nuclear physics, and fundamental physics.
Searching for Dark Matter – Astrophysical evidence for dark matter. Candidates. Experimental strategies: direct and indirect detection. Underground experiments.
Cosmology and the Microwave Background – Cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB): from the observation by Penzias and Wilson to the measurements by the Planck satellite.
Outlook – Future prospects in astroparticle physics: scientific challenges, planned 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
D. Maoz - Astrophysics in a nutshell - Princeton
L. Bergstrom, A. Goobar - Cosmology and astroparticle physics - Springer