PPC 2026

Session

Dark Matter

31 Aug 2026, 16:10

70. Direct and indirect probes of gravity-mediated dark matter in large extra dimensions

Igor Samsonov (UNSW)

31/08/2026, 16:10

Dark matter

Dark matter coupled to the Standard Model only through gravity is usually regarded as beyond the reach of laboratory searches. In models with large extra dimensions this expectation can be altered, since the short-distance gravitational potential is enhanced and scales as $1/r^{1+n}$. I will discuss dark-matter scattering in Arkani-Hamed–Dimopoulos–Dvali scenarios, where exchange of...

40. 21-cm constraints on Dark Matter

Dominic Agius (IFIC, University of Valencia)

31/08/2026, 16:35

Dark matter

The 21-cm signal is emerging as a powerful cosmological probe of dark matter. However, constraints derived from heating-based signatures are subject to significant astrophysical uncertainties, which depend sensitively on the choice of fiducial model. We illustrate this in the context of accreting primordial black holes with masses in the range $1-10^{3}$ M$_\odot$, showing how changes in...

12. Non-Thermal Dark Matter Production from post-Inflationary dynamics

Avirup Ghosh (University of Melbourne)

31/08/2026, 17:00

Dark matter

Lack of conclusive experimental evidences in favour of thermally produced dark matter (DM) candidates have made non-thermal DM production mechanisms popular among the community. In this talk, I will discuss two distinct possibilities: (1) DM production from inflaton decays, and (2) DM production from reheaton decays. While the inflaton provides a compelling framework for explaining the...

64. Status of the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment

Theresa Fruth (University of Sydney)

31/08/2026, 17:25

Dark matter

LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a dark matter direct detection experiment located at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. At the heart of the detector is a dual-phase time projection chamber containing 7 tonnes of active liquid xenon. With a combined exposure of 4.2 tonne-years from the first two science campaigns, LZ has placed the most stringent limits on spin-independent...

48. Heavy dark matter in rapidly evolving massive stars

Giorgio Busoni (Adelaide University)

01/09/2026, 14:00

Dark matter

Dark matter (DM) constitutes most of the matter content of the Universe, yet its particle nature remains unknown. While laboratory searches and cosmological probes have placed strong constraints on many candidate models, astrophysical environments provide a complementary avenue to test DM interactions under extreme conditions. Stars are particularly promising laboratories: as they move through...

90. Randall-Sundrum Models and Multibrane Extension

Joshua Gill

01/09/2026, 14:25

Physics beyond the standard model

General Relativity (GR) is the classical interpretation of gravitational interaction. Equivalently, GR can be represented as an effective field theory (EFT) of the non-trivial self-interacting theory of a massless spin-2 particle. The Planck mass sets the high-energy cutoff, which is where we expect to see the effects of quantum gravity. Various modifications to gravity significantly lower the...

31. Warm Ingredient In a Cold Soup

Amrita Mukherjee (PhD Student at UNSW)

01/09/2026, 14:50

Dark matter

The interplay between theoretical cosmology and particle physics seeks to answer some of the fundamental questions related to our Universe’s formation and constituents. Today, it is well-established that the elusive entity known as "dark matter" accounts for nearly 30% of the cosmic energy budget[1][2]. Several particle physics models of dark matter are being extensively studied; however,...

27. Overview of the DarkSide-20k Dark Matter Experiment

Dr Marek Walczak (Gran Sasso Science Institute, Italy)

01/09/2026, 15:15

Dark matter

The nature of dark matter remains unknown and its origin is currently one of the most important questions in physics. Direct searches for WIMP dark matter particle interactions with ordinary matter are carried out with large detectors located in underground laboratories to suppress the background of cosmic rays.

In this talk I will introduce the DarkSide-20k experiment and its physics...

91. Latest results from XENONnT on dark matter search and solar neutrinos

Dr Bernard Andrieu (LPNHE, IN2P3/CNRS & Sorbonne Université, Paris, France)

01/09/2026, 16:10

Dark matter

The XENONnT experiment, a dual-phase Xenon Time Projection Chamber (TPC) of 5.9t active mass operating at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), is at the forefront of the search for direct dark matter detection. Thanks to its unprecedented radioactive purity and enhanced veto system, it is best positioned to explore new physics at the low-energy frontier. We present here the latest...

7. Atomic ionisation from general scattering and absorption

Narise Williams (The University of Physics)

01/09/2026, 16:35

Dark matter

Accurate calculations of ionisation cross-sections are essential for constraining dark matter–electron interactions, neutrino scattering, and precision Standard Model and beyond-Standard Model (BSM) physics. We present a generalised framework for computing ionisation cross-sections for scattering and absorption processes, fully incorporating relativistic effects and avoiding the use of the...

32. Heavy Dark Baryons: Self-Interactions and the Dark Matter–Baryon Coincidence

Giovani Dalla Valle Garcia (University of Melbourne)

01/09/2026, 17:00

Dark matter

We investigate minimal dark matter models based on a confining ($SU(N)$) dark sector, motivated by the central role of non-Abelian gauge forces in the Standard Model. After arguing that dark gluons alone cannot provide viable self-interacting dark matter capable of addressing small-scale structure tensions, we consider theories with dark quarks. Although light dark quarks can generate...

63. Probing Axion Couplings with Solar X-ray Observations

Dr Marco Taoso (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Torino, Italy)

03/09/2026, 14:00

Dark matter

Axions and axion-like particles are well-motivated extensions of the Standard Model and viable dark matter candidates. In the solar interior, these particles can be produced through their couplings to photons, electrons, and nucleons, and can subsequently convert into X-ray photons in the magnetic fields of the solar atmosphere. In this talk, I will present recent searches for such signals...

25. Self-Interaction Bounds on Ultralight Dark Matter Couplings to Matter

Dr Mohammad Aghaie (University of Osaka)

03/09/2026, 14:25

Dark matter

Ultralight dark matter (ULDM) couplings to matter fields and ULDM self-interactions are typically treated as independent probes. However, since the ULDM-matter couplings unavoidably induce self-interactions through quantum loop corrections, bounds on self-interacting ULDM from astrophysical and cosmological observations will also limit the coupling strength to matter. Applying this argument,...

77. Searching for ultralight dark matter with atomic clocks and cavities

Ashlee Caddell (The University of Queensland)

03/09/2026, 14:50

Dark matter

The mystery of dark matter (DM) is a long-standing issue in physics, with numerous dedicated experiments returning no confirmed detections. Many direct detection experiments search for high mass particles, but ultralight DM is a lesser-researched, well-motivated model that could be detected through its effects on fundamental constants.

Atomic clocks are a viable option for detection as...

78. Space-Borne Atomic Clocks for Gravitational Detection of Local Dark Matter Overdensities

Shuyi Lyu (University of Sydney)

03/09/2026, 15:15

Dark matter

Atomic clocks are among the most precise instruments ever made, their precision continues to improve rapidly, reaching the $10^{-19}$ level in relative frequency shift. Existing research on atomic clocks as probes of dark matter (DM) has focused on changes in clock frequency due to interactions with DM particles. In this work, we investigate the ability of atomic clocks to detect the local DM...