Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics (INPA) at LBNL

The INPA Seminar weekly talks are on Fridays, starting at 12:00 pm, unless informed otherwise. The seminar talk starts with a brief presentation of the weekly scientific news. Typically, the talks conclude by 1:00 pm. The seminars are held in the Sessler Conference Room,  located in Bldg. 50A- 5132.

The committee members are:

The seminar schedule for the Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics (INPA) is tentative and becomes final a few days before the Friday talk.

Please send all suggestions for future INPA talks and speakers to the INPA Committee.

To be added to the INPA News Mailing List, please contact Erica Hall.

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Tongyan Lin (UCSD)

Speaker: Tongyan Lin (UC San Diego) Title: Direct Detection of Sub-GeV Dark Matter with the Migdal Effect in Semiconductors Abstract: As direct detection experiments expand the search for sub-GeV dark matter and lower their energy thresholds, the many-body physics of crystals can be increasingly important and also be used to enhance discovery potential. In this […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Elena Gramellini (Fermilab)

Speaker: ​Elena Gramellini (​Fermilab) Title: Seeing the ​L​ight in ​P​ixelated TPCs: Q-Pix and LILAr  Abstract: Noble elements Time Projection Chambers (TPC) are the detector technology of choice for the next generation of discovery at the intensity frontier. These detectors provide a number of experimental handles, such as full 3D-imaging, excellent particle identification and precise calorimetric energy reconstruction which […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Patrick Komiske (MIT)

Speaker: Patrick Komiske (MIT) Title: Optimizing Particle Physics With Machine Learning Abstract: Exciting new advances in particle physics, particularly in the area of jet physics at colliders such as the LHC, are being driven by machine learning (ML) methods. For example, in just a few short years, the state of the art for important tasks such as jet […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Kelly Stifter (Stanford)

Speaker: Kelly Stifter (Stanford University) Title: The LZ Dark Matter Experiment: From Detector Development to First Physics Abstract: LZ is a next generation dark matter search designed to significantly extend our sensitivity to WIMP dark matter candidates. At the core of the LZ experiment is a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber (TPC) with a 7 ton […]

Virtual INPA SEMINAR| Nguyen Phan (LANL)

Speaker: Nguyen Phan (Los Alamos National Laboratory)  Title: “Understanding Electrical Breakdown in Liquid Helium through Analysis of the Empirical Breakdown Field Distributions” Abstract: Many present and future large-scale detectors in nuclear, particle, and astroparticle physics experiments will employ very high voltages and/or high electric fields inside a noble liquid detection medium.  However, electrical breakdown in these […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Yifan Chen (Univ. of Bern)

Speaker: Yifan Chen (University of Bern, Switzerland) Title: Just A Little Kick: Low-Energy Transfer Muon-Neutrino νμ Charged-Current Interactions on Argon Abstract: Accelerator neutrino oscillation experiments provide a sensitive way to approach a few major open questions in neutrino physics. To achieve precision neutrino oscillation measurements, we need a better understanding of key aspects of the […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Tucker Elleflot (LBNL)

Speaker: Tucker Elleflot (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Title: Multiplexed Readout of Transition Edge Sensors for CMB Polarization Experiments Abstract: The polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) provides a valuable means to study the very early universe and high energy physics beyond the standard model. Remarkable experimental progress has been made on this front in the past […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Joseph DeRose (UC Santa Cruz)

Speaker: VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Joseph DeRose (UC Santa Cruz) Title: “Models of the Non-Linear Universe for Precision Cosmology” Abstract: Imaging and redshift surveys of galaxies and high resolution observations of the CMB promise to shed light on the physical nature of dark matter and dark energy in the coming decade. One of the main […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Zack Li (Princeton Univ.)

Speaker: Zack Li (Princeton University) Title: “Enabling New Views of the Early Universe from the Atacama in the Next Five Years” Abstract: We're producing some exciting Cosmic Microwave Background data with high-resolution, ground-based observations at 27 - 280 GHz, from experiments like ACT, SPT, and (soon) SO and CMB-S4. I'll discuss present and future challenges […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Guang Yang (Stony Brook University)

Speaker: Guang Yang (Stony Brook University) Title: Securing An Accurate CP Violation Phase Measurement In DUNE Abstract: The requirements for a 5 non-zero delta CP violation phase measurement (if CP violation phase = -pi/2) are a wide-band muon neutrino beam, a 1,300 km baseline, an order of 10s kt fiducial mass detector with high particle […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Zepeng Li (Yale University)

Speaker: Zepeng Li (Yale University) Title: Search For Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay In Liquid Xenon TPC Abstract: Search for neutrinoless double beta decay is a direct tool to investigate the Majorana nature of the neutrinos and mechanism of neutrino mass generation. Discovery of neutrinoless double beta decay would be a direct indication of lepton number […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Jay Hun Jo (Yale University)

Speaker: Jay Hun Jo (Yale University) Title: Searching For Long Standing Anomalies In Particle Physics With COSINE-100 and MicroBooNE Abstract: Two of the most pressing questions in particle physics are the nature of the dark matter in the universe and understanding neutrinos - overall and as an explanation for our matter dominated universe. In each […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Gadi Afek (Yale University)

Speaker: Gadi Afek (Yale University) Title: Searches For New Physics Using Levitated Optomechanics Abstract: In an attempt to provide further insight into one of the major questions of physics beyond the standard model, highly sensitive optomechanical sensors are employed utilizing techniques synchronous with those of the atomic physics community. These sensors are table-top experimental tools offering exquisite control […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Zoya Vallari (CalTech)

Speaker: Zoya Vallari (California Institute of Technology) Title: Neutrino Oscillation Results & Future Prospects of the NOvA Experiment Abstract: Neutrino mixing parameters are rapidly being measured to a higher precision by many experiments, however key questions such as mass hierarchy of neutrinos and CP violation in the lepton sector are still unanswered. NOvA is a […]

SPECIAL VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Roger Huang (UCB)

Speaker: Roger Huang (UC Berkeley) Title: 0νββ Search Results from One Ton-Year of CUORE Data Abstract: The search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) is currently the most sensitive way to test the hypothesis that neutrinos may be Majorana particles and obtain insight as to the nature of neutrino masses. CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for […]

VIRTUAL INPA SEMINAR | Walter Pettus (Indiana University)

Speaker: Walter Pettus (Indiana University Bloomington) Title: Project 8: Towards the Atomic Tritium Future of Direct Neutrino Mass Measurement Abstract: Neutrino flavor oscillations provided the first break in the Standard Model by proving that neutrinos have nonzero mass, but leave us with an unanswered question: How much mass?  Project 8 is a next-generation experiment based […]

INPA guests from campus can now come to the lab early on Fridays. The INPA Common Room (50-5026) is reserved for our guests from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Note that the seminars are now held in 50A-5132 to accommodate a more significant number of attendees.

CPTea Series (also known as INPA Tea Series)

The Physics Division CPTea Series invites you to an In-Person Tea Series 1st Friday of every month at 3:30 pm INPA Conference Room 50-5026.

Everyone is welcome to attend the open forum. Tea and light refreshments will be served.

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INPA Common Room (50-5026)
Fridays
3:30 pm

Access to the Lab

For a shuttle pass, please email Erica Hall. The pass is only valid for the day of the seminar.

Erica Hall