Particle physics has entered a data rich era, with unprecedented data sets from both collider and cosmological experiments. Using this data to answer the biggest open questions in particle physics will require new ways of thinking about quantum field theory (QFT) and connecting it with data. The study of detector operators, most notably energy flux correlators, has recently emerged at the intersection of experiment, phenomenology, and formal theory. These observables, which arise as direct theoretical models of collider experiments, have played a crucial role in contemporary developments in formal QFT and gravity. In the last year, it has become possible to directly measure these observables at hadron colliders, leading to record precision extractions of Standard Model parameters, and measurements of properties of the Quark Gluon Plasma. This provides a rare example of a vibrant and timely connection between real world phenomenology and advances in formal QFT. In this talk I will highlight recent advances in our understanding of detector operators in particle physics, QFT, and gravity, and illustrate how these theoretical advances are pushing the frontiers of collider physics across high energy and nuclear physics.
