Talks

For more than a decade, enigmatic extragalactic flashes called fast radio bursts (FRBs) have defied a definitive explanation for their origin. In addition, the unique properties of FRBs make them promising probes of both cosmology and the distribution of gas on intergalactic scales. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) is the only radio telescope capable of instantaneously observing hundreds of square degrees with the sensitivity of a 100-meter scale aperture. As a result, its transient search instrument, CHIME/FRB, has detected thousands of FRBs, increasing the known sample by an order of magnitude. I will give an overview of CHIME/FRB's most recent results, where observations of particular sources and statistical analyses of the FRB population are starting to reveal the nature of this mysterious phenomenon. I will then describe an effort to augment CHIME/FRB's capabilities by adding Outrigger telescopes, which will be located across North America and will precisely localize FRB sources using very long baseline interferometry. The resulting large sample of localized FRBs will allow for detailed measurements of the large-scale distribution of baryons in the universe, providing precise constraints on feedback processes in galaxy evolution.

Zoom link:  https://pitp.zoom.us/j/93157775112?pwd=bzZDMVc3VnF1WHZzeVlLOTdDZmtQQT09

Every time researchers have pushed the energy boundary in particle physics we have found something new about our Universe. Recently, IceCube has demonstrated that Neutrino Telescopes can use neutrinos from the cosmos as excellent tools to continue this exploration. The true potential of this field, however, remains to be realized due to limited observations of neutrinos at the highest energies. To unlock this potential, advanced detectors are needed that will push the forefront of the cosmic frontier, revealing new knowledge of extreme astrophysical phenomena, including through multi-messenger follow-up programs, and testing fundamental physics at scales well beyond those reachable by Earth-bound accelerators. The Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment (P-ONE) is a proposed initiative to construct one of the largest neutrino telescopes deep in the northern Pacific Ocean off the coast of British Columbia. To overcome the challenges of a deep-sea installation, we have deployed two pathfinder mooring lines STRAW and STRAW-b in 2018 and 2020. These provide continuous monitoring of optical water properties at a potential detector site in the Pacific. In this talk I will cover results from these pathfinders and discuss the status of P-ONE. 

Zoom Link:  https://pitp.zoom.us/j/91718716984?pwd=Wm00anU4UjFWd0tKYVZ0TVZ6aVMrZz09

In quantum many-body physics, we aim to understand and predict the exciting phenomena emerging from the interactions of many quantum particles. In this talk I will use the paradigmatic Fermi-Hubbard model, a conceptually simple model of interacting fermionic particles, as an example to highlight different approaches to gain insights into quantum many-body problems. I will describe a semi-analytical theory, established numerical methods, machine learning techniques, as well as quantum simulation experiments, which provide detailed information about the quantum state of the system. A particular focus will be on how to combine these different approaches to learn as much as possible about the system of interest, for example through new observables and modified microscopic models.

Zoom link:  https://pitp.zoom.us/j/94368447256?pwd=clhQcUJNaTR0UjVydnBHelo4N3JIQT09

The rich interplay between three-dimensional topological quantum field theories (TQFTs) and vertex operator algebras (VOAs) has been a useful bridge in understanding aspects of both subjects. In this talk, I will describe some aspects of this correspondence focusing on the simple, yet surprisingly rich, examples of Chern-Simons theories based on the Lie superalgebra gl(1|1).

Zoom Link:  https://pitp.zoom.us/j/97698409749?pwd=ZkdzUHI2YXJEYk53VDQyZm1ERzJHUT09