Joint IAS Princeton University Astrophysics Colloquium

Oct
11
2016

Institute for Advanced Study/Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

Challenging Einstein: Lunar Laser Ranging as an Absolute Test
Tom Murphy
11:00am|Bloomberg Hall Lecture Hall
General Relativity is one of two foundational pillars of physics, yet gravity is the most weakly tested of the fundamental forces. Using the pristine solar system as a laboratory, we bump into this pillar to see if it might fall. This talk will...
Oct
04
2016

Institute for Advanced Study/Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

Frontiers of Radiative Plasma Astrophysics: Powering the Brightest Gamma-ray Flares by Relativistic Magnetic Reconnection
Dmitri A. Uzdensky
11:00am|Bloomberg Hall Lecture Hall
ABSTRACT ADDED - Many high-energy astrophysical sources — pulsars, PWN, magnetars, GRBs, and AGN (including blazar) jets — produce bright bursts of gamma-ray emission, often featuring rapid variability and nonthermal spectra. This calls for a...
Sep
20
2016

Institute for Advanced Study/Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

A Single Prolific r-process Event Preserved in an Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxy
Anna Frebel
11:00am|Bloomberg Hall Lecture Hall
The heaviest elements in the periodic table are synthesized through the r-process, but the astrophysical site for r-process nucleosynthesis is still unknown. The major current candidates are ordinary core-collapse supernovae and neutron star merger...
May
03
2016

Institute for Advanced Study/Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

Investigating the Symmetry, Progenitors, and Particle Acceleration of Supernova Remnants
Laura Lopez
11:00am|Princeton University, Peyton Hall, Room 145
Although supernovae (SNe) are routinely detected through dedicated robotic surveys, but most of these SNe are often too distant (~1-100 Mpc) to resolve the SN ejecta and immediate surroundings of the exploded stars. Fortunately, supernova remnants...
Apr
19
2016

Institute for Advanced Study/Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

Characteristic Scales in the CGM and IGM
Peng Oh
11:00am|Princeton University, Peyton Hall, Room 145
An increasing number of QSO absorption line observations have suggested a population of dense (n ~ 1 cm^-3), compact (r ~ 30 pc) photoionized clouds out near the virial radius of galactic halos. This appears theoretically puzzling. We show this is...
Apr
12
2016

Institute for Advanced Study/Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

The Extreme Energy Cosmic Frontier
Angela Olinto
11:00am|Princeton University, Peyton Hall, Room 145
Thanks to giant extensive air-showers observatories, such as the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array (TA), we now know that the sources of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are extragalactic. We also know that either they interact...