Cosmological Neutrino Tensions

Abstract: 

Cosmological probes are sensitive to the imprints of cosmic background neutrinos, enabling independent measurements of key neutrino properties like the sum of neutrino masses. I will give an overview of recent constraints on the neutrino masses based on the latest data from DESI and Planck. I will explain why these constraints are in tension with laboratory data and discuss the relation with other problems in cosmology, like the Hubble and S8 tensions, as well as possible implications for the nature of dark energy. Finally, I will discuss measurements that could point the way forward in the near future. 


Speaker: 
Dr. Willem Elbers, Durham University
Place: 
KIAA Shu Qi meeting room
Time: 
Tuesday, November 5, 2024 - 1:30PM
Biography: 
Dr. Willem Elbers is a postdoctoral researcher in cosmology at Durham University in the UK. He completed his PhD at Durham and his undergraduate studies at the Universities of Groningen and Cambridge. His research focuses on the cosmic large-scale structure, the role in cosmology of massive neutrinos and decaying dark matter, and cosmological N-body simulations. He is an active member of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration and the FLAMINGO simulations project.