Exploring the Extreme Universe with Gamma-ray Observatories

Join Professor Reshmi Mukherjee from Barnard College, Columbia University, for an illuminating lecture exploring the fascinating field of Very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray astrophysics. Discover how space-based observatories like the Fermi gamma-ray telescope and ground-based telescopes detect violent cosmic processes and nature's most powerful particle accelerators. Learn about blazars with their relativistic jets, and Galactic sources including supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebulae, and binary systems, where extreme gravitational and magnetic fields create conditions for gamma-ray production. Understand the synergistic relationship between gamma-ray astronomy, ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, and high-energy neutrino observations in the context of multi-messenger astronomy. Explore the scientific principles behind VHE gamma-ray astronomy, detection techniques, and gain insights into the future of the field with the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), which promises unprecedented sensitivity in unraveling cosmic mysteries, from supermassive black holes to dark matter.