Who: Matthew Toups, senior scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) and 2025 APS Fellow
What: "Hunting Neutrino Anomalies with MicroBooNE"
When: 12:30pm, Monday, April 20
Where: Theory Center (Pupin 8th floor)
Why: Because his talk sounds fascinating...and he earned his PhD from Columbia!
Abstract: Neutrinos are among the most mysterious particles in nature. Despite being incredibly abundant, they interact so rarely that they continue to challenge our understanding of the universe. Over the years, several short-baseline neutrino experiments have observed puzzling signals—“anomalies”—that don’t quite fit within the established picture of particle physics. These hints have motivated a new generation of experiments designed to test whether the anomalies point to undiscovered physics or simply to gaps in our models and measurements.
MicroBooNE, a large liquid‑argon detector at Fermilab, plays a central role in this effort. By capturing detailed images of neutrino interactions, MicroBooNE has carried out a broad program aimed at carefully examining the sources of the short-baseline anomalies and improving our understanding of neutrino behavior. In this talk, I will introduce the puzzle posed by these anomalies, describe how MicroBooNE’s unique capabilities allow us to probe them with unprecedented detail, and discuss what recent results tell us about where the field is headed. I will also explore how upcoming short-baseline experiments may finally resolve these longstanding questions—and what surprises might still be in store.
