Exploring the Extreme Universe with Gamma Ray Space Telescopes
| Date/Time: | Monday, 10 Apr 2017 from 4:10 pm to 5:00 pm |
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| Location: | Phys 0003 |
| Phone: | 515-294-5441 |
| Channel: | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences |
| Actions: | Download iCal/vCal | Email Reminder |
Abstract: Gamma-ray observations offer a view of the sky that diverges dramatically from that obtained at lower frequencies. The objects that dominate the gamma-ray sky mark the sites of extreme astrophysical objects in the Universe in their most extreme states. Gamma rays probe regions of high magnetic fields, strong gravity, high density, and highly relativistic matter. NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope observes a wide section of the gamma-ray spectrum and in the past 8 years has revealed thousands of these sites throughout and beyond our Galaxy - a treasure trove of extreme astrophysics. I will highlight some key results from Fermi that give insight into mechanisms for cosmic particle acceleration, the nature of dark matter and multimessenger astronomy, the combination of photon observations with those of neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves. I will also discuss how questions from Fermi and other observatories are influencing the development of future space-based gamma-ray instruments.
Bio: Dr. Elizabeth Hays is a research astrophysicist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where she serves as a deputy project scientist for the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and acting chief for the Astroparticle Physics Laboratory. She uses high-energy gamma-ray observations to study Galactic supernova remnants and variable gamma-ray sources in the Milky Way, such as the Crab Nebula and stellar novae. Her current activities include development of new space-based gamma-ray instruments to observe medium-energy gamma rays. Dr. Hays received her Ph. D. from the University of Maryland where she conducted searches for gamma-ray activity from blazar galaxies with Milagro, a ground-based very-high-energy gamma-ray observatory. As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory, she contributed to the construction of the ground-based very-high-energy gamma-ray observatory, VERITAS, and studies of supernova remnants with that instrument.