Vera Gluscevic, University of Southern California
When
Abstract: Galaxies exist because invisible dark matter outweighs normal matter by a factor of six in our universe; cosmological expansion accelerates today because dark energy dominates spacetime on cosmic scales. Neither of these phenomena is explained by known particles or forces – their existence points to tremendous gaps in our understanding of nature on the most fundamental level. Over the past two decades, measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation and other high-precision observations have enabled allocation of our universe into dark matter, dark energy, radiation, and baryon components, giving rise to the backbone model of cosmology. This talk will discuss the quest to understand the microphysics of the dominant (but invisible) components of our universe. I will focus on the mass and interactions of dark matter and neutrino particles as notable examples of science targets for cosmological surveys, to illustrate how observational data that spans billions of years of cosmic history and decades in physical distance scales can pave a new path toward discoveries in fundamental physics.
Bio: Professor Gluscevic (she/her) studies fundamental physics using cosmology. She got her undergraduate degree in astrophysics in Belgrade (Serbia) and PhD at Caltech (Pasadena, California). She was a postdoctoral scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, before joining University of Southern California (USC) Physics and Astronomy faculty as a Gabilan Assistant Professor in 2019. Professor Gluscevic has co-led dark matter science teams for the Simons Observatory and CMB-S4 collaborations, and has served on the executive committee for the NASA Physics of the Cosmos. Her work was recognized through the Cottrell Scholars Award, NSF CAREER award, and USC Raubenheimer Outstanding Junior Faculty Award. In addition to research, she works with the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching to create active and inclusive learning experiences in physics classrooms at USC and chairs the Climate committee at USC Physics and Astronomy.
MEET THE SPEAKER Contact the host, Elisabeth Krause or sign up on the invited speaker schedule.
Reception: Refreshments at 3:00 PM, Kuiper Building, 3rd Floor Atrium
Live stream: Zoom Meeting ID: 417 674 3144 Passcode: 1985Astro