is the place to be every Friday afternoon if you want to learn more about a variety of research fields while enjoying delicious Fika! We bring together researchers across different universities in Stockholm to share their passion for science and related topics, while nourishing a deep sense of community among junior researchers.

Upcoming

Friday 16:00 @ Nordita 6th floor

From Cold War Satellites to Modern Gamma-Ray Astronomy
Title Image of Talk From Cold War Satellites to Modern Gamma-Ray Astronomy
Title Image of Talk From Cold War Satellites to Modern Gamma-Ray Astronomy
Title Image of Talk From Cold War Satellites to Modern Gamma-Ray Astronomy
2026-03-20 ✨ Open to juniors* ✨ Milena Crnogorčević

Gamma-ray astronomy began not as an experiment, but as part of a Cold War effort to detect nuclear tests in space. The scientists who built those detectors instead discovered something completely unexpected: the most powerful explosions in the Universe.

In this ScientiFika, I will tell the story of the emergence and evolution of gamma-ray astronomy—from its accidental beginnings to its role today in exploring the most extreme environments in the Universe. Along the way, we will encounter exploding stars, neutron stars, black holes, and perhaps even hints of dark matter. We will talk about how the most extreme light in the Universe is produced, and how nature accelerates particles to energies far beyond anything we can achieve on Earth. This story will also highlight the complicated relationship between scientific discovery and the world in which it takes place.

Join me for a journey through the history of gamma-ray astronomy and the extreme universe it has revealed, as well as the questions that continue to shape its future!

*Junior audience is a term that encompasses undergraduate, master's, and PhD students, as well as postdocs.
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