Supernovae: A Natural Laboratory for Studying New Physics

• The SUPRISE workshop brings together 40 experts in Madrid to discuss exotic particles and new neutrino interactions through these astrophysical objects.

• The event is organized by the Institute for Theoretical Physics UAM-CSIC to promote international scientific collaboration.

From March 11 to 14, the Institute for Theoretical Physics (IFT UAM/CSIC) hosted the international SUPRISE (Supernovae Probes of Invisible Sectors) conference, where the role of supernovae as natural laboratories for studying exotic particles and new neutrino interactions was analyzed. The event brought together experts in astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics to discuss the latest advances in this field.

One of the main goals of these meetings is to foster international scientific collaboration, which helps advance particle physics research and, consequently, our understanding of the universe. Karen Macías, currently a PhD student at IFT and part of the SUPRISE organizing team, highlights the diversity of the event: "We have gathered 40 researchers and 6 speakers from many universities around the world, so I believe we have been very successful."

pie de foto: 

IFT

An Ideal Environment for Studying Particles Beyond the Standard Model

Supernovae—stellar explosions marking the end of a star's life—reach extremely high temperatures and densities in their cores, making them an ideal environment for the production and study of particles beyond the Standard Model. These particles could be candidates for dark matter, such as axions, axion-like particles, heavy neutral leptons, dark photons, gauge bosons, Majorons, sterile neutrinos and others. Additionally, these astrophysical events provide a unique opportunity to investigate neutrino interactions that cannot be studied in terrestrial experiments.

Marina Cermeño, a postdoctoral researcher at IFT and one of the SUPRISE organizers, underscores the importance of supernovae in the search for new physics: "In this conference, we use supernovae as laboratories for new physics. Many particles are theoretically predicted but have not yet been detected, so we hope supernovae can help us find them."

The workshop features 6 leading speakers in the field, who have shared their knowledge and discussed the impact of these discoveries on our understanding of the universe. One of them, Maurizio Giannotti, a researcher at the University of Zaragoza, explains: "I work with theoretically predicted particles, such as axions and weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). This conference is very interesting, and I enjoy the atmosphere and discussions with my colleagues." Meanwhile, Maria Cristina Volpe, a research professor at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France, also expresses her enthusiasm for the event: "My talk at this conference was about neutrinos in dense environments and how they continue to surprise us. This environment is very stimulating, and I am very happy to be here."