Vera Gluscevic, University of Southern California

University of Arizona, Theoretical Astrophysics Program (TAP) Colloquia Series
TITLE:
The Universe We Cannot See
ABSTRACT:
Galaxies exist because invisible dark matter outweighs normal matter by a factor of six in our
universe; cosmological expansion accelerates today because dark energy dominates spacetime
on cosmic scales. Neither of these phenomena is explained by known particles or forces - their
existence points to tremendous gaps in our understanding of nature on the most fundamental
level. Over the past two decades, measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation
and other high-precision observations have enabled allocation of our universe into dark matter,
dark energy, radiation, and baryon components, giving rise to the backbone model of cosmology. This talk will discuss the quest to understand the microphysics of the dominant (but invisible) components of our universe. I will focus on the mass and interactions of dark matter
and neutrino particles as notable examples of science targets for cosmological surveys, to
illustrate how observational data that spans billions of years of cosmic history and decades in
physical distance scales can pave a new path toward discoveries in fundamental physics.
BIO:
Professor Gluscevic (she/her) studies fundamental physics using cosmology. She got her undergraduate degree in astrophysics in Belgrade (Serbia) and PhD at Caltech
(Pasadena, California). She was a postdoctoral scholar at the Institute for Advanced
Study in Princeton, before joining University of Southern California (USC) Physics
and Astronomy faculty as a Gabilan Assistant Professor in 2019. Professor Gluscevic
has co-led dark matter science teams for the Simons Observatory and CMB-S4 collaborations, and has served on the executive committee for the NASA Physics of
the Cosmos. Her work was recognized through the Cottrell Scholars Award, NSF
CAREER award, and USC Raubenheimer Outstanding Junior Faculty Award. In
addition to research, she works with the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching to
create active and inclusive learning experiences in physics classrooms at USC and
chairs the Climate committee at USC Physics and Astronomy.