Signe Riemer-Sørensen (University of Queensland)

Why neutrinos are the most interesting particles and what cosmology can tell us about them

Abstract

Despite being the smallest particles, the neutrinos provide one of the greatest challenges for modern physics. The Standard Model of particle physics describes them as being exactly mass-less. Nonetheless, neutrino oscillation experiments provides precise measurements of their mass differences, but not the overall mass scale. Massive neutrinos have a significant effect on the structure formation history of the Universe, which can be observed in the galaxy distribution today. I will present new results on the neutrino mass and number of species derived from large-scale structure in the three-dimensional galaxy map provided by the Australian WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey