PhD defense by Ersilia Guarini

Exploring the High-Energy Transient Universe with Neutrinos

The dawn of time-domain astronomy has led to the detection of a growing number of energetic transient events, displaying diverse luminosities and durations ranging from seconds to months. Photons are our primary messengers to investigate these sources, however photons interact with matter and radiation en route to Earth, with consequent degradation of the information they carry about distant sources. Astrophysical transients can also emit cosmic rays, neutrinos, and gravitational waves. Each of these messengers carries unique information about the source. Only by combining all messengers can we have a comprehensive understanding of the cosmos. In the vibrant landscape of multi-messenger astronomy, this thesis focuses on neutrinos with TeV-PeV energy. Due to their feeble interaction with matter, neutrinos can traverse large distances with minimal hindrance, therefore emerging as unique probes of the high-energy sky. This thesis explores the potential of combining high-energy neutrinos and electromagnetic radiation to unravel the puzzling nature of some of the most powerful transients occurring in the Universe, including gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and fast blue optical transients.

The thesis is available for consultation in Irene’s office.

 
Supervisor: Irene Tamborra

Opponents: Shunsaku Horiuchi, Sera Markoff and Martin Pessah