Dr. Stephanie Wissel

Assistant Professor

Department: Physics, Astronomy & Astrophysics
College:  Eberly College of Science
Address: Osmond 303B
Phone: 814-863-9598
E-mail: wissel@psu.edu
Website: http://swissel.com/

Neutrino Particle Astrophysics at the Highest Energies

I’m interested in the biggest and smallest phenomena, the fundamental building blocks of nature and how particles interact in extreme astrophysical environments. We study neutrinos in my group; neutrinos stream through you and most things without interacting. They’re tiny with a mass much smaller than an electron and uncharged. This makes them excellent probes of the far reaches of the universe. At high energies (speeds very close to the speed of light), neutrinos are indicators of extreme particle acceleration in the distant universe. We also study the grand cosmic accelerators that generate these particles and how neutrinos are related to photons, gravitational waves, and cosmic rays. I’m also interested in expanding our experimental capabilities. My group uses radio detection methods to define the next generation of neutrino telescopes and search for these elusive neutrinos.