Neutrinos as a tool for astroparticle physics

par Dr Pasquale Dario Serpico (LAPTh, Annecy-le-vieux)

jeudi 20 sept. 2012, 14:30 → 15:30 Europe/Paris

Auditorium Vivargent (Annecy-le-Vieux)

In recent years, a series of experiments using natural and artificial neutrino sources have proven that these particles oscillate; the measurement of the parameters of their mixing matrix is currently underway and guides the design of near-future facilities. Theoretically, this discovery proves that neutrinos are massive and that at least a minimal extension of the Standard Model of Particle Physics is required. We elaborate on a few consequences that this newly acquired knowledge has on cosmological and astrophysical systems. In particular, we discuss: i) the implications for the properties of the cosmic neutrino background, both in minimal scenario and in some non-standard extensions; ii) the present and future cosmological constraints on neutrino lifetime; iii) the fascinating implications of non-linear neutrino self-refraction in the flavour evolution of the neutrino fluxes streaming out of a proto-neutron star produced in a core-collapse supernova event. Finally, we outline some possibles research directions for the forthcoming years.