XIV International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP 2015)

Abstract

PrefaceThe 14th edition of the International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP 2015) was held 7–11 September 2015 in Torino, Italy. It was organized and sponsored by: University of Torino, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, Consorzio Interuniversitario di Fisica Spaziale (CIFS), and it was held under the auspices of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP). The conference venue was the Congress Center of Unione Industriale di Torino.The meeting attracted 490 participants from 38 countries (327 participants came from outside the host country), the largest participation ever. The topics covered by the conference were Cosmology, Dark Matter, Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics, Gravitational Waves and High-Energy Astrophysics and Cosmic Rays, including the various interfaces between these areas. The scientific sessions consisted of five mornings of plenary talks, four afternoons with 6 parallel sessions each day, and an evening poster session. The program was complemented by a parallel session on Outreach and Education, two public events dedicated to general audience and a one-day course for physics students on science communication. Overall, 32 plenary talks, 284 parallel talks and 55 posters were presented.We wish to congratulate Prof. Takaaki Kajita and Prof. Arthur McDonald for the award of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2015 “for their key contributions to the experiments which demonstrated that neutrinos change identities. This metamorphosis requires that neutrinos have mass. The discovery has changed our understanding of the innermost workings of matter and can prove crucial to our view of the universe.” Prof. Kajita is member of the Steering Committee of the TAUP Conference Series and Prof. McDonald has been member of the International Advisory Committee of many TAUP Conferences, including the TAUP 2015 edition. It has been a pleasure to meet them in Torino and to have them chairing the Gravitational Wave and Neutrino Physics Session on the last day of the Conference.We thank all speakers, conveners and participants as well as the members of the Organizing, Steering and International Advisory Committees for making this a very successful and memorable meeting.Nicolao Fornengo, Marco Regis, Hannes-S. Zechlin (Proceedings Editors)