Matthew Kerr (Stanford University)

The Galaxy in Gamma Rays: A Roundup of Recent Results from the Fermi Large Area Telescope -- Matthew Kerr Colloquium

Marsfield Lecture Theatre

Abstract

With four years of Fermi LAT observations of the gamma-ray (100 MeV - 100 GeV) sky in hand, we have increased both the number of known gamma-ray sources (by nearly an order of magnitude) and our understanding of the particle acceleration and radiation mechanisms by which they shine. GeV sources range from the cosmological---gamma-ray bursts and quasars---to the nearly nextdoor---pulsars and the Loop I
bubble. I will focus on Galactic gamma-ray science, highlighting the importance of gamma-rays as a probe of cosmic ray creation and propagation and of the structure of pulsar magnetospheres.