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Status and prospects of astroparticle physics, January 2026.

→ Europe/Rome
Conversi (Physics Department Sapienza University)

Conversi

Physics Department Sapienza University
Description

The event is aimed at researchers and students and aims to present an overview of the research area in astroparticle physics, which studies the Universe by combining the information obtained with different "messengers" such as cosmic rays, neutrinos, gamma rays and gravitational waves. The latest results of the experiments currently in the data-taking phase, in space and on Earth, will be presented and the future prospects for extending current projects or designing new detectors will be discussed. The interpretation of the results will also be discussed with particular attention to the "multi-messenger" approach, necessary for a deep understanding of the highly energetic mechanisms in the Universe. There are no fees to participate to the event but a pre-registration is required: please register as soon as possible.  The final registration will be done, close to the entrance of Conversi room on Thursday 22nd morning, starting at 9:00.

A Meet remote connection will be possible at the link https://meet.google.com/szf-gndu-pwc?authuser=0

The event is organized by ARAP, the Roman AstroParticle Association.

Pictures of the 2025 ARAP prize awarding ceremony for PHD Thesis in Astroparticle Physics
Registration
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Participants
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    • Session 1: Introduction and welcome Aula Conversi (Physics Department, Sapienza University of Roma)

      Aula Conversi

      Physics Department, Sapienza University of Roma
      • 1
        Introduction and welcome

        Greetings from local authorities

      • 2
        The First Decade of Gravitational-Wave Astronomy.

        The LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration recently completed its fourth observing run. This is the culmination of ten years that started with the first gravitational-wave observation, and now allow us to count hundreds of additional observations. I will summarise the discoveries made possible by the data collected during this decade, the analysis of which has pushed our knowledge and understanding of fundamental physics and astrophysics to unprecedented levels. Finally, I will address some of the exciting open questions that remain to be answered with gravitational waves in the years to come.

        Speaker: Francesco Pannarale (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
      • 3
        A journey with cosmic neutrinos

        In this contribution, I will report on the major discoveries of neutrino astronomy and related implications, spanning from point-like neutrino analyses, with both offline and online methods, to the search for diffuse fluxes of cosmic neutrinos, up to the most recent observation of an ultra-high-energy neutrino-induced event in KM3NeT.

        Speaker: Silvia Celli (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
        Talk_RM2026_KM3NeT_CelliSilvia_web.pdf
      • 4
        High-energy photon detection on Earth and in space. Results and perspectives

        Gamma-ray astronomy explores the most powerful phenomena in the Universe, addressing fundamental questions in particle astrophysics ranging from powerful astrophysical jets and extreme physics of compact objects to the nature of dark matter and the origin of gamma-ray bursts. The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has profoundly advanced the field of high-energy astrophysics through continuous, high-sensitivity monitoring of the gamma-ray sky. Utilizing its Large Area Telescope (LAT) and Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM), Fermi has compiled extensive catalogs encompassing thousands of gamma-ray sources, including pulsars, supernova remnants, and active galactic nuclei (AGN) such as blazars. The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO ) will extend the observations up to 300 TeV and will operate arrays on sites in both hemispheres to provide full sky coverage and will hence maximise the potential for the rarest phenomena such as very nearby supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, or gravitational wave transients, In my lecture I will review some of the new results and the prospects for the future.

        Speaker: Aldo Morselli (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
        Morselli_Roma_26_v4r.pdf
      • 5
        Multimessenger observations: present achievements and future directions.

        Multimessenger astronomy has emerged as a powerful approach to explore the Universe by combining information from different cosmic messengers, including electromagnetic radiation, gravitational waves, neutrinos, and cosmic rays. This presentation reviews the current status of multimessenger observations, highlighting key discoveries enabled by coordinated measurements across multiple observatories, such as compact object mergers and high-energy astrophysical sources. We discuss the present capabilities and limitations of existing detection networks and outline future prospects driven by next-generation instruments, improved data-sharing strategies, and real-time alert systems. Together, these developments promise deeper insights into the most energetic and transient phenomena in the cosmos and open new avenues for fundamental physics and astrophysics.

        Speaker: Irene Di Palma (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
    • 12:40
      Lunch Conversi

      Conversi

      Physics Department Sapienza University
    • Session 2 Conversi

      Conversi

      Physics Department Sapienza University
      • 7
        1956-2026: the contribution of artificial neutrino sources to neutrino physics .

        In 1956 Reines and Cowan observed for the first time the interaction of (anti)neutrinos from a reactor. Since then, both reactors and accelerators have been exploited as neutrino sources in experiments identifying their three flavors and corroborating the evidence for oscillations coming from solar and atmospheric neutrinos. A review of the main experimental techniques will be presented, together with the current status and prospects on neutrino mixing parameters.

        Speaker: Domizia Orestano (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
        Seminario22gennaio2026_Orestano.pdf
      • 8
        Outlook on direct dark matter searches

        The nature of Dark Matter is one of the most challenging problems ever tackled in physics.
Cosmology and astrophysics provide strong and compelling evidence for the existence of a “dark” form of matter in the Universe, yet it has not been directly detected or identified so far.
Two main hypotheses are currently being tested regarding the nature of Dark Matter: it may consist of particles (such as WIMPs or WIMP-like candidates) or of waves (such as Axions), with masses spanning a vast range from the TeV/c² scale down to the μeV/c² scale.
As a consequence, a large number of experiments are underway and, given the enormous mass range to be explored, a wide variety of experimental techniques is employed, from liquid scintillators to resonant cavities.
        In this talk, I will review the current state of the art in this field, which has been evolving for more than 30 years in the ongoing effort to detect Dark Matter particles that have so far eluded discovery.

        Speaker: Marco Vignati (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
        DM 2026.pdf
    • 15:40
      coffee break Conversi

      Conversi

      Physics Department Sapienza University
    • Session 3 Conversi

      Conversi

      Physics Department Sapienza University
      • 9
        Fundamental physics with Astroparticles : the case of Cosmic Rays

        The study of astroparticles provides a unique perspective on fundamental physics, shedding light on the universe's most energetic and mysterious phenomena. This field involves detecting and analyzing cosmic rays, neutrinos, and gamma rays, which are particles originating from outer space. Specifically, measurements of cosmic rays offer crucial insights into high-energy processes occurring within our galaxy and beyond, potentially unraveling the mysteries of antimatter and dark matter in the universe. Recent advancements in detector technologies have enabled high-statistic measurements, leading to a deeper understanding of the origin and propagation of cosmic rays. In this seminar, I will present the scientific landscape of astroparticles and summarize the latest discoveries related to cosmic rays.

        Speaker: Roberta Sparvoli (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
        Sparvoli_ARAP_2026.pdf
      • 10
        Exploring the Universe through the detection of Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays: status and perspectives

        Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) are the most energetic particles ever detected, with energies reaching above 10^20 eV. In this talk, I will present the current state of knowledge of these messengers of the Universe, also discussing future prospects achievable with the observatories that are currently taking data and with new projects that are planned to be developed.

        Speaker: Valerio Verzi (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)
        Verzi-22-01-2026.pdf
      • 11
        The search for neutrinoless double beta decay

        Since the discovery of neutrino oscillations, the search for neutrinoless double beta decay stands among the highest priorities for understanding the nature of neutrinos and the origin of their mass.
        The experimental observation of this lepton-number-violating process, only hypothesised so far, world demonstrate that neutrinos are Majorana fermions, equal to their own antiparticles.
        This in turn would represent a manifest signature of physics beyond the Standard Model.
        The experimental strategy adopted for the search of the elusive neutrinoless double beta decay has seen a significant evolution over the past 30 years. In this talk, I will discuss the main aspects of the double beta decay process and give an overview of the experimental techniques that are exploited to search for this rare decay. I will review the status and prospects of the new generation of experiments being promoted by
        experimental groups around the world.

        Speaker: Claudia Tomei (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)