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PUG Seminar

PUG Seminar

321 Whitmore, IGC Lounge

2025-04-18

Title: Probing the Extreme Universe with HAWC Abstract: Extreme cosmic phenomena act as natural particle accelerators, allowing us to explore particle interactions at such high energies. To understand these energetic environments, we can utilize Very-High-Energy (VHE) gamma rays as effective messengers. In this talk, I will discuss the production mechanisms of VHE gamma rays and their astrophysical sources. In addition, I will highlight the role of the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory in detecting VHE gamma rays.

Schedule for PUG Seminar
TimeSpeakerTitle
14:00Seonghyeon YuPUG Seminar

About our wordmark
Monica The IGC wordmark was created by Monica Rincon Ramirez, while she was a graduate student at the Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos (IGC). Monica enjoys drawing new connections between fundamental theory and observations. Her graduate work includes specialized topics in general relativity, loop quantum gravity, and quantum fields in cosmological backgrounds. In particular, her thesis work focused on finding effective quantum corrections to gravitational phenomena from spinfoams, and applications to cosmology. She received her PhD in 2024.

The wordmark symbolizes the scope and variety of research at the IGC. The base of the image represents quantum gravity, evoking the quantum geometrical picture from spinfoams and loop quantum gravity. These are among the approaches to fundamental questions studied at the Center for Fundamental Theory. The middle of the image represents the Center for Theoretical and Observational Cosmology by galaxies embedded in a smooth surface, characteristic of spacetime in general relativity and the much larger physical scales studied in cosmology. Finally, at the top, the surface curves to an extreme, representing a supermassive black hole accompanied by an energetic jet. These elements depict an active galactic nucleus, inspired by Centaurus A. Just to the right, a pair of black holes approaches merger. This top portion of the wordmark represents the Center for Multimessenger Astrophysics, which specializes in the study of high-energy phenomena in the universe.