This is a past event.

Karen Andeen from Marquette University will be presenting at this week's Physics Colloquium.

Please join the in-person presentation at 4 p.m. Thursday (March 23) in Fisher Hall 139.

COSMIC RAY COMPOSITION USING THE ICECUBE NEUTRINO OBSERVATORY

Abstract: Cosmic rays were discovered more than 100 years ago; however, their origins and composition remain relatively uncertain.  This deficiency can be addressed using measurements from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory (ICNO), a cubic kilometer cosmic ray detector built into the ice at the geographic South Pole.  The ICNO consists of two sub-arrays—IceCube and IceTop—which together are used to measure the composition of cosmic rays across an especially interesting energy range where the production of cosmic ray particles is theorized to transition from galactic sources to extragalactic sources.  In this talk, I will discuss how the ICNO is presently being used to measure the composition of cosmic rays across this transition energy regime and our plans to improve these measurements in the near future using the new IceAct telescopes.

Bio: Dr. Karen Andeen is the Wehr Distinguished Associate Professor of Physics at Marquette University.  She has worked in high energy particle (HEP) and astroparticle physics.  Her scientific career started with internships at Fermilab and CERN.  She continued to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she first worked in the HEP program on ZEUS at HERA but then switched to the new “cooler” IceCube experiment on which she completed her Ph.D. thesis.  After her postdoctoral years, she moved to Marquette University and rejoined the IceCube collaboration.  Dr. Andeen also has an avid interest in physics education: during her postdoc years, she embarked on a master’s degree in intercultural and international education.  She has used that experience to revamp the physics curriculum at Marquette.  At home, Dr. Andeen enjoys spending time with her three young children and introducing them to the fascinating world around us.