NO INPA Seminar Talk
2025-11-20 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-28 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles)

[NEW LOCATION-INPA 50-5026] INPA Seminar Speaker: Heather Crawford(LBNL)Title: The Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array – GRETA
2025-12-05 12:00 - 13:00
Date: December 5, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
New Location: INPA Conference Room – 50-5026 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Heather Crawford (LBNL)
Title: The Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array – GRETA
Abstract: The Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array (GRETA) Project started in 2017, following nearly a decade of successful science with the predecessor GRETINA array. Led by the Nuclear Science Division at LBNL, and with a team including scientists, engineers, and technical staff from NSD, Engineering, and ESnet, as well as from partner institutions ANL, ORNL, and FRIB, GRETA recently completed the CD-E-4A milestone. It is currently being installed at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), with first science measurements expected at the end of 2026. I will review the GRETA project goals, both scientific and technical, and how it progressed from concept to fabrication to anticipated first science at FRIB.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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NO INPA SEMINAR
2025-12-12 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-19 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-26 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-01-02 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-01-09 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-01-23 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-04-17 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-04-24 12:00 - 13:00 and 2 more dates

INPA Seminar Speaker: Ralf Konietzka (Harvard) - Title: Fast Radio Burst Cosmology in IllustrisTNG: Forward Modeling Dispersion Measures to Constrain Baryonic Feedback
2026-01-16 12:00 - 13:00
Date: January 16, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Ralf Konietzka (Harvard)
Title: Fast Radio Burst Cosmology in IllustrisTNG: Forward Modeling Dispersion Measures to Constrain Baryonic Feedback
Abstract: The dispersion measures (DMs) of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) arise predominantly from free electrons in the large-scale structure of the Universe. The increasing number of FRB observations have started to empirically constrain the distribution of cosmic baryons, making it crucial to accurately forward model their propagation within cosmological simulations.
In this talk, I present a method for measuring FRB DMs in IllustrisTNG that continuously traces rays through the simulation while reconstructing all traversed line segments within the underlying Voronoi mesh. Leveraging this technique, we create over 20 publicly available DM catalogs, including a full-sky DM map observed from a Milky Way-like environment.
Our method addresses a problem in previous TNG-based studies, in which a sparse snapshot sampling in the path integral leads to a misestimation of the standard deviation and higher moments of the DM distribution p(DM|z) by over 50%.
Confronting our simulated FRB catalogs with recent observations from DSA-110, ASKAP, and CHIME, I quantify the distribution of baryons relative to the underlying matter, allowing us to place new constraints on the strength of baryonic feedback.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA Seminar Speaker: Seungeun Lee (LBL)- Title: Scintillation photon counting detector concept for advancing time-of-flight PET
2026-01-30 12:00 - 13:00
Date: January 30, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Seungeun Lee (LBL)
Title: Scintillation photon counting detector concept for advancing time-of-flight PET
Abstract: Positron emission tomography (PET) is a powerful imaging modality for providing in vivo molecular function in nuclear medicine. The precise timing capability of positron annihilation photon interaction within the scintillation detectors has remarkably revolutionized the diagnostic performance of PET, motivating the radiation instrumentation researchers to pursue sub-100-ps time resolution at the system level. The biomedical imaging team at LBL ANP is currently developing a novel time-of-flight PET detector concept that extracts unique timestamps of the early scintillation photons for event timing and positioning. This approach integrates a large-volume scintillation crystal, silicon photomultipliers, and low-noise high-frequency readout electronics. Our recent progress in design optimization and prototype characterization will be presented.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA Seminar Speaker: TBD
2026-02-06 12:00 - 13:00
Date: February 6, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: TBD
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011

INPA Seminar Speaker: TBD
2026-02-13 12:00 - 13:00
Date: February 13, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: TBD
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011

INPA Seminar Speaker: Taylor Aralis (SLAC)- Title: SQUAT detectors
2026-02-20 12:00 - 13:00
Date: February 20, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Taylor Aralis (SLAC)
Title: SQUAT detectors
Abstract: TBD
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA Seminar Speaker: Chami Amarasinghe (UCSB)- Title: Hidden track structures in liquid xenon and their implications for dark matter searches
2026-02-27 12:00 - 13:00
Date: February 27, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Chami Amarasinghe (UCSB)
Title: Hidden track structures in liquid xenon and their implications for dark matter searches
Abstract: Dual-phase liquid xenon detectors are entering a regime where new insights into signal formation are required to make robust discoveries of WIMPs and solar neutrino CEvNS. I will present two results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment showing that key signals and backgrounds are not described by standard models of light and charge production in liquid xenon. First, double-electron-capture backgrounds in WIMP searches produce unexpectedly strong electron-ion recombination, generating events that mimic nuclear recoils. Second, neutron calibrations reveal excess fluctuations in nuclear recoil signals, boosting the observable rates of low-mass dark matter and solar neutrino CEvNS. I will describe how the underlying physics of track structures impacts current dark matter searches and the predictions of future experiments.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA Seminar Speaker: Soud Al Kharusi (Stanford)- Title: Neutron scattering for fundamental physics
2026-03-06 12:00 - 13:00
Date: March 6, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Soud Al Kharusi (Stanford)
Title: Neutron scattering for fundamental physics
Abstract: TBD
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA Seminar Speaker: Shenyang Shi (Columbia University)- Title: Search for dark matter and solar neutrinos with XENONnT
2026-03-13 12:00 - 13:00
Date: March 13, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Shenyang Shi (Columbia University)
Title: Search for dark matter and solar neutrinos with XENONnT
Abstract: The primary goal of the XENONnT experiment is the direct detection of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), with a projected sensitivity improvement of an order of magnitude over XENON1T. In this talk, I will present recent results from searches for light dark matter and solar neutrinos using the scintillation-ionization channel and the ionization-only channel with a lowered detection threshold in ~7 tonne*years of exposure. Together, these complementary analyses set world-leading constraints on dark matter–nucleon and dark matter–electron scattering cross sections. In the relevant mass range, the sensitivity approaches the so-called neutrino fog, where coherent neutrino scattering constitutes an irreducible background that can mimic light dark matter interactions.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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NO INPA Seminar Speaker
2026-03-20 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-04-10 12:00 - 13:00

INPA Seminar Speaker: Marina Cortes (University of Lisbon)-Title: Towards multi-probe pipeline standardization
2026-03-27 12:00 - 13:00
Date: March 27, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Marina Cortes (Univ of Lisbon)
Title: Towards multi-probe pipeline standardization
Abstract: Combining datasets from very different probes, such as Type Ia SNe, CMB, and BAO, is one of the most important tasks in modern observational cosmology. Obtaining robust constraints on model parameters such as H_0, Omega_matter, the equation of state, or the neutrino masses is technically challenging because of the fundamental differences among the probes. These include different systematics, pipeline architectures, parameter conventions, and modelling assumptions. I will describe the length and components of an integrated, end-to-end pipeline of cosmology products, and discuss possible solutions to integrate knowledge and address discrepancies between communities in any of the moving pieces of the full pipeline.

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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011

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The INPA schedule can be found here.

Additional seminars and colloquia of interest are posted on the Physics Division calendar.

INPA Seminar Speaker: Aditi Pradeep (SLAC)- Title: superCDMS
2026-04-03 12:00 - 13:00
Date: April 3, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Aditi Pradeep (SLAC)
Title: Searching in the dark: the low-mass frontier of direct dark matter detection
Abstract: Despite overwhelming astrophysical and cosmological evidence for dark matter, its particle nature remains one of the most compelling open questions in physics. While WIMPs with masses of 100’s GeV or larger have long been the target of direct detection experiments, theoretical and experimental developments increasingly motivate a broader search encompassing sub-GeV and even sub-MeV candidates. In this talk, I will survey the current dark matter landscape, motivating the case for low-mass dark matter searches. I will present the current status and latest results from the SuperCDMS experiment, which uses cryogenic silicon and germanium detectors with Transition Edge Sensor (TES) readout to probe dark matter masses below 10 GeV/c², and place its sensitivity in the context of other direct detection experiments. A central challenge facing most next-generation low-mass searches is the Low Energy Excess (LEE) – an anomalous signal-like background below a few hundred eV observed across multiple experiments and not yet attributed to a known source. I will discuss current efforts to diagnose and mitigate this background with position-based event tagging using a steerable, cryogenic MEMS-based optical calibration source. Finally, I will outline the path toward next-generation experiments, emphasizing advances in target materials and quantum sensing technologies, highlighting the need for advanced readout and characterization techniques to meet evolving experimental demands.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA Seminar Speaker: Yashwanth Bezawada(LBL)- Title: Testing Hybrid Optical Neutrino Detector Technologies at Eos
2026-05-01 12:00 - 13:00
Date: May 1, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Yashwanth Bezawada (LBL)
Title: Testing Hybrid Optical Neutrino Detector Technologies at Eos
Abstract: Future kilotonne-scale, scintillation-based neutrino detectors, such as Theia, plan to exploit new and yet-to-be-developed technologies to simultaneously measure Cherenkov and scintillation signals to provide a rich and broad physics program. These hybrid detectors will be based on fast timing photodetectors, novel liquid scintillators, and spectral sorting. This talk focuses on a currently operating technical demonstrator, called Eos. The novel detector with an approximately 4-tonne fiducial target volume has been constructed at UC Berkeley and LBNL (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory). Eos now provides a test bed for the emerging technologies required for hybrid Cherenkov/Scintillation detectors. Eos is now the first multi-ton scale deployment of the higher light-yield version of water-based liquid scintillator (WbLS). This talk presents the construction and deployment of Eos at Berkeley, water phase performance, deployment of WbLS in Eos, and preliminary results from this data.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA Seminar Speaker: Lorenzo Magrini (Stanford)-Title: A search for short-range new interactions with Mössbauer spectroscopy
2026-05-08 12:00 - 13:00
Date: May 8, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Lorenzo Magrini (Stanford)
Title: A search for short-range new interactions with Mössbauer spectroscopy
Abstract: New light particles, predicted by many proposed extensions of the Standard Model, would manifest as short-range forces between matter. At the nanoscale, electromagnetism is overwhelming, masking anything weaker. Nuclei, on the other hand, sit shielded inside their electron cloud — making them an exceptionally clean place to look. The recoilless 14.4 keV transition in ⁵⁷Fe gives access to this channel with a natural linewidth of ~5 × 10⁻⁹ eV!
I will present an ongoing experiment at Stanford that uses this resonance to probe new interactions between nuclei in the 20–400 nm range. A ⁵⁷Co source illuminates a thin ⁵⁷Fe absorber, while a gold source mass in close proximity would shift the resonance line through the new interaction. I will discuss the design, the systematics that set the ultimate reach, and what we hope to see.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA Seminar Speaker: Jakob Robnik (UC Berkeley)-Title: Feasible MCMC in high-dimensional parameter spaces
2026-05-22 12:00 - 13:00
Date: May 22, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Jakob Robnik (UC Berkeley)
Title: Feasible MCMC in high-dimensional parameter spaces
Abstract: Statistical inference increasingly takes place in high-dimensional parameter spaces (thousands to billions of parameters) and is commonly the computational bottleneck of scientific workflows. To make this task scalable, we have developed Microcanonical Langevin Monte Carlo (MCLMC), the first out-of-the-box MCMC algorithm without Metropolis adjustment. Avoiding the adjustment yields superior scaling with the problem’s dimensionality, while still maintaining error guarantees. MCLMC outperforms current state-of-the-art samplers, such as the No-U-Turn Sampler (NUTS), across all the problems we considered. For example, for cosmological field-level inference from galaxy surveys with 2 million parameters, MCLMC inference takes 4 hours while NUTS needs more than 3 days for the same accuracy and computational resources. The gains continue to grow as the dimensionality increases. This kind of improvement can lead to scientific breakthroughs, for example, by enabling optimal information extraction or by enabling the study of solid-state systems of unprecedented size. In the talk, I will give intuition for how scalable MCMC must be in high dimensions, and then introduce MCLMC. I will show practical applications to benchmarks, lattice field theories, cosmological field-level inference, and Bayesian neural networks.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA Seminar Speaker: TBD
2026-05-29 12:00 - 13:00
Date: May 29, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: TBD
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
Passcode: [REDACTED]

NO INPA Seminar Speaker
2026-06-12 12:00 - 13:00
Date: June 12, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: TBD
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
Passcode: [REDACTED]
