Juna Kollmeier
CITA

Abstract:

I will describe the current progress within the Fifth Generation of SDSS.  SDSS-V is an unprecedented all-sky spectroscopic survey of over six million objects. It is designed to decode the history of the Milky Way galaxy, trace the emergence of the chemical elements, reveal the inner workings of stars, and investigate the origin of planets.  It will provide the most comprehensive all-sky spectroscopy to multiply the science from the Gaia, TESS and eROSITA missions. SDSS will also create a contiguous spectroscopic map of the interstellar gas in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies that is 1,000 times larger than the state of the art, uncovering the self-regulation mechanisms of galactic ecosystems.  It will pioneer systematic, spectroscopic monitoring across the whole sky, revealing changes on timescales from 20 minutes to 20 years.  I will highlight key areas of current scientific and technical development as well as opportunities to participate in the survey underway.

McDonald Institute seminars are technical talks provided by scientists, bringing together experimental and theoretical astroparticle physicists and astronomers. They are held approximately fortnightly, September to November and January to March, and on an ad hoc basis outside of term.

Juna Kollmeier's McDonald Institute Seminar is a special seminar provided as part of the Ewan Lecture Series, bringing in leading scientists to engage with our department. This seminar will be held in Stirling A, and online. Please contact Mark Richardson if you would like to gain access to the online seminar.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Schael
RWTH Aachen University

Abstract

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, AMS-02, is a general-purpose high-energy particle physics detector. It was installed on the International Space Station in May 2011 to conduct a unique long duration mission of fundamental physics research in space.

In 10 years AMS-02 has continuously collected data from more than 180 billion cosmic rays. The AMS-02 precision measurements have revealed new and distinct information that change our understanding of the production, acceleration and propagation of charged cosmic rays.

The measurements of the cosmic ray positron and anti-proton fluxes are particular sensitive to new effects, like dark matter annihilation. The most important scientific results of AMS-02 will be summarized and with AMS-100 the perspectives for this exciting field of research beyond 2028 will be discussed. 

Juna Kollmeier
Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics

Abstract:

Humans have been mapping the sky for thousands of years. In this talk, I will describe our current efforts as undertaken by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. SDSS is an unprecedented spectroscopic survey that has revealed a tremendous amount of information about our cosmos. I will describe its fifth phase, mapping of over six million objects, from stars, to black holes, to Galaxies. SDSS is designed to decode the history of the Universe and the galaxies within it, trace the emergence of the chemical elements, reveal the inner workings of stars, and investigate the origin of planets. I will endeavor to explain why we do this and how taking on this massive, complex, and seemingly esoteric undertaking, humanity ultimately benefits.

Registration for online and in-person attendance is available here: mappingtheuniverse.eventbrite.ca. Note, in-person attendance is limited to the Queen's community, and subject to health requirements set by Queen's University and the Kingston Medical Officer of Health.

Dan Dalacu
NRC

Abstract

High optical quality single photons play a vital role in many quantum technologies, most notably in quantum secured communications.  Semiconductor quantum dots are a promising route to generating such photons deterministically and using quantum dots grown via a strain-driven process, photons having near-optimal properties have been demonstrated. A less developed quantum dot system based on semiconductor nanowires [1] offers controlled nucleation of single dot structures at predetermined positions on the growth substrate. In this presentation, progress on improving the optical quality of the photons generated by nanowire quantum dots is discussed.

[1] P. Laferrière, E. Yeung, I. Miron, D. B. Northeast, S. Haffouz, J. Lapointe, M. Korkusinski, P. J. Poole, R. L. Williams, D. Dalacu, “Unity yield of deterministically positioned quantum dot single photon sources”, arXiv:2110.08366 (2021).

Tien-Tien Yu
University of Oregon

Abstract:

Solar neutrinos are an inevitable background to any dark matter direct detection experiment as they closely mimic the signature of dark matter. In this talk, I will discuss the effects of solar neutrinos on the reach of dark matter-electron scattering experiments, with a focus on semiconductor and xenon-based detectors. In addition, I will present the prospects of measuring and understanding the various solar neutrino components using the same detectors, as well as the effects of non-standard neutrino interactions, thus turning solar neutrinos from a background to an interesting signal in their own right.

McDonald Institute seminars bring together experimental and theoretical astroparticle physicists and astronomers. They are held approximately fortnightly, September to November and January to March, and on an ad hoc basis outside of term. They currently take place on Thursdays at 3:30 PM in STI 501 and/or on Zoom. Contact Aaron Vincent if you would like to attend.

Qinrui Liu
Queen’s University

Abstract:

Neutrinos of cosmic origin are excellent messengers to investigate the Universe. The IceCube experiment discovered TeV-PeV neutrinos of astrophysical origin which opened a new window to the Universe, allowing us to explore astrophysics and fundamental physics. One of the missions comes afterwards is to identify where those neutrinos come from, which is an important piece in solving the mystery of cosmic-ray accelerators. In this talk, I will discuss the search for their astrophysical sources, emphasizing the efforts to identify Galactic sources.  Besides astrophysical processes, the origin of these high-energy cosmic neutrinos can also indicate physics beyond the standard model, such as the nature of dark matter.

McDonald Institute seminars bring together experimental and theoretical astroparticle physicists and astronomers. They are held approximately fortnightly, September to November and January to March, and on an ad hoc basis outside of term. They currently take place on Thursdays at 3:30 PM in STI 501 and/or on Zoom. Contact Aaron Vincent if you would like to attend through zoom.