Neutrino physics in the era of precision cosmology
by
Steen Hannestad(Aarhus U.)
→
Europe/Berlin
build. 2a, SR 2 (DESY Hamburg)
build. 2a, SR 2
DESY Hamburg
Description
Precision measurements of the cosmic microwave background and the large scale distribution of galaxies have in many ways revolusionised cosmology and transformed it into a mainstream branch of physics. The level of precision of these measurements is now such that cosmology can be used to probe some aspects of particle physics better than laboratory experiments. Perhaps the prime example is the field of neutrino physics. The neutrino mass, for example, is exceedingly hard to measure experimentally, but because neutrinos have a profound impact on how structures form in the Universe cosmological observations can be used to probe the neutrino mass with better precision than direct experiments. In the talk I will review the status of cosmology as a tool for probing the physics of neutrinos and other weakly interacting particles. I will also outline the future of the field, with particular focus on upcoming projects such as EUCLID and LSST.
