10–14 Aug 2026
Europe/Madrid timezone
IMPORTANT: Traffic restrictions will be in place the day of the eclipse. Access to our viewing site will only be possible via the conference buses (see scientific bulletin).

Search for decoherence due to quantum gravity with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory

10 Aug 2026, 15:39
5m
Young Scientist Forum talk + poster Young Scientist Forum

Speaker

Tanvi Krishnan (Harvard University)

Description

In order to develop a consistent quantum theory of gravity, we must understand whether spacetime exhibits fluctuations at the Planck scale. If these Planck-scale fluctuations exist, they may cause propagating particles to evolve in an apparently non-unitary manner. Neutrinos, which interact only via the weak force and gravity, maintain quantum coherence while propagating over large distances. Thus, neutrino oscillations serve as a precise interferometer to search for Planck-scale fluctuations of spacetime. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is the world’s largest neutrino telescope, located in the Antarctic glacier. We search the data on atmospheric neutrinos detected by IceCube in the energy range 0.5-100 TeV to test for neutrino decoherence. In this contribution, we present the results of the analysis, which shows significantly improved upper limits compared to previous experimental constraints as a result of improved reconstruction and a larger sample of events.

Position PhD student

Author

Tanvi Krishnan (Harvard University)

Presentation materials