Paleo-detectors are a proposed experimental technique to search for dark matter (DM). In lieu of the conventional approach of operating a tonne-scale real-time detector to search for DM-induced nuclear recoils, paleo-detectors take advantage of small samples of naturally occurring rocks on Earth that have been deep underground (≳5 km), accumulating nuclear damage tracks from recoiling nuclei...
In this talk, I will discuss the latest efforts to constrain the mass of the ultra-light dark matter models, focusing on the current bounds of the fuzzy dark matter (FDM) model. I will show how we can use the different predictions of this model and different astrophysical systems to put the strongest bounds to date on the mass of this ultra-light axion, also showing the incompatibilities...
The search for dark matter and dark sectors at colliders will be reviewed. Special attention will be paid to both heavy and light dark matter scenarios in which the dark matter is a thermal relic, but other possibilities that inspire interesting collider searches will also be included.
I will discuss how the assumption of a standard cosmological history can play a large role in the production of dark matter in the early Universe, and explore a few examples in which a nonstandard history can point to radically different parameters and/or models of dark matter to explain its observed abundance than one would have inferred from the standard assumptions about the conditions in...
Cosmological observables, from the Lyman-alpha forest to Milky Way substructure, offer unique avenues for testing new physics. I will review the status of the recent early-universe and late-universe searches for the identity of dark matter and for new physics in the neutrino sector, summarizing the best current limits on scattering between dark matter and baryons and neutrino self-scattering....
I will present COZMIC, a suite of over 100 cosmological zoom-in simulations with initial conditions beyond CDM. COZMIC spans initial conditions for warm, fuzzy, and interacting dark matter models. The shape of the linear matter power spectrum, P(k), is imprinted on the corresponding subhalo populations. Modeling this effect improves fuzzy and interacting dark matter bounds from the Milky Way...
Indirect dark matter detection in the MeV energy range is notably constrained by our limited observing sensitivity in this regime. The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI), selected as a NASA Small Explorer satellite with an expected launch in 2027, will offer new potential to push these boundaries. COSI is a gamma-ray telescope that will survey the sky from 0.2-5 MeV with excellent energy...
At dwarf galaxy scales and smaller, the thermal and kinetic properties of dark matter influence the growth of cosmological and galactic structures. These effects are observable through various methods, including dwarf galaxy counts, the Lyman-alpha forest, and strong lensing. I will review the current constraints and evidence for a small-scale cutoff in structure formation, consistent with...
The precise measurement of cosmic antinuclei is an important means for identifying the nature of dark matter and other beyond-standard-model physics. Recent years have shown that identifying the nature of dark matter with cosmic positrons and antiprotons is challenging and has led to an increased interest in cosmic antideuteron and antihelium searches. Antideuterons and antihelium nuclei may...
Primordial black holes (PBHs) in the mass range $10^{17} - 10^{22} \, \text{g}$ are a promising candidate for the dark matter. At the lower end of this range, PBHs emit Hawking radiation with temperatures $T_H \gtrsim 100 \, \text{keV}$, allowing for electron-positron pair production and making their radiation detectable in high-energy surveys. To interpret these signals, it is crucial to...
We demonstrate that the searches for dark sector particles can provide probes of reheating scenarios, focusing on the cosmic millicharge background produced in the early universe. We discuss two types of millicharge particles (mCPs): either with, or without, an accompanying dark photon. These two types of mCPs have distinct theoretical motivations and cosmological signatures. We discuss...
I will discuss the formation of macroscopic dark matter from interacting dark sectors. Specifically,Fermi balls can form in dark sectors with a heavy fermion and a light scalar mediated Yukawa force. I'll discuss the behavior of these Fermi balls and the conditions under which they will collapse to form primordial black holes. Based on arXiv:2411.17074.
I will discuss the probing of gravothermal collapse of dark matter halos through stellar streams and strong lensing systems.
Located at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory, the PandaX experiment employs xenon as a target to detect rare physics signals, such as dark matter and neutrinos. The PandaX-4T, the latest generation detector featuring a 4-ton xenon target volume, commenced data collection in 2020. One of our objectives is to unravel the nature of dark matter by investigating various potential signatures....
While much supersymmetric WIMP parameter space has been ruled out, one remaining important candidate is Higgsino dark matter. The Higgsino can naturally realize the "inelastic dark matter" scenario, where the scattering off a nucleus occurs between two nearly-degenerate states, making it invisible to WIMP direct detection experiments if the splitting is too large to be excited. It was realized...
The Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (SuperCDMS) experiment, currently being installed 2 km underground at SNOLAB Canada, is a collaborative effort to search for low-mass dark matter particles (<10 GeV/c²) via direct detection. The experiment utilizes 24 silicon and germanium crystals instrumented with either phonon sensors, called HV detectors, or, phonon and charge sensors, called iZIP...
The ANAIS experiment aims to verify or refute in a model independent way with a high statistical significance the longstanding positive annual modulation signal observed by DAMA/LIBRA. For this goal, ANAIS experiment uses the same target, NaI(Tl), and technique, the analysis of the annual modulation in the scintillation signal observed at very low energy. ANAIS−112 consists of nine modules,...
CRESST-III (Cryogenic Rare Event Search with Superconducting Thermometers) installed at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, is looking to directly detect dark matter particles scattering off CaWO4 target nuclei in cryogenic detectors. Thanks to its energy threshold O(30 eV), CRESST-III is particularly suitable in probing sub-GeV DM masses. This contribution presents an overview of CRESST-III,...
A method for distinguishing dark matter signals from detector background is looking for an annual modulation signal caused by the seasonal variation of the Earth’s velocity with respect to the sun and, thus, the dark matter halo.
The DAMA/LIBRA experiment, a pioneer using such modulation as DM signature, observes a modulated signal rate with a very high statistical significance with the...
SABRE is an international collaboration that will operate similar particle detectors in the Northern (SABRE North) and Southern Hemispheres (SABRE South). This innovative approach distinguishes possible dark matter signals from seasonal backgrounds, a pioneering strategy only possible with a southern hemisphere experiment. SABRE South is located at the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory...
The DAMIC-M (DArk Matter In CCDs at Modane) experiment will use skipper CCDs to search for low mass (sub-GeV) dark matter underground at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM). With about 1kg of silicon target mass and sub-electron energy resolution, the detector will surpass the exposure and threshold (eV-scale) of previous experiments. As such, DAMIC-M will have world-leading sensitivity...
SENSEI (Sub-Electron Noise Skipper Experimental Instrument) is the first experiment to implement silicon skipper CCDs to search for dark matter. Skipper-CCDs can resolve single electrons in each of millions of pixels, which allows for the low energy threshold required to detect sub-GeV dark matter interacting with electrons. SENSEI recently measured the lowest event rates containing one...
DarkSide-LowMass is a tonne-scale liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) being planned by the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration (GADMC) to search for WIMP-like dark matter with masses below 10 GeV/c^2, achieving low thresholds with a design optimized for an electron-counting analysis. Building upon the success of DarkSide-50's light dark matter search, DarkSide-LowMass will aim to...
The XENONnT experiment searches for weakly interacting massive particles scattering off xenon nuclei with a dual-phase time projection chamber. With 5.9 tonnes of active mass and an unprecedented low level of background, the detector enables the searches of several rare-event physics channels. In particular XENONnT set stringent limits on other dark matter candidates interacting through...
TESSERACT is currently in an R&D and planning phase, funded under the DOE Dark Matter New Initiatives program. This phase will result in two fully defined experiments (HeRALD and SPICE). Collaboration with French groups has recently been formalized, bringing a third technology to the suite. We will provide an overview of this general TESSERACT program as we transition to `project’ phase. In...
PADME is a fixed-target, missing-mass experiment originally designed to search for dark photons using a beam of positrons with energy up to 500 MeV. The detector, located at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, in Italy, has already collected initial physics data over the last few years. More recently, the experiment has been adapted to perform a direct search for on-shell X17 production....
The DarkSide-20k experiment represents the latest phase of the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration, leveraging expertise from previous argon-based detectors. This effort is focused on constructing a dual-phase liquid argon time projection chamber (LAr-TPC) that will deploy 100 tonnes of underground argon outfitted with silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays for precise light detection....
This talk describes hardware upgrades for the DEAP-3600 dark matter direct detection experiments, which uses over 3 tonnes of liquid argon (LAr) as a scintillation target and is located 2 km underground at SNOLAB in Sudbury, Canada. These upgrades aim to maximize the detector's sensitivity to WIMP dark matter by removing the dominant sources of background. Operations with the upgraded detector...
The TESSERACT collaboration will search for dark matter particles below the proton mass through interactions with two types of novel, ultra-sensitive detectors. These detectors, SPICE and HeRALD, aim to provide leading sensitivities to low-mass dark matter candidates. In this talk I will present on the recent progress made toward reaching this goal. First, I will discuss the recent deployment...
The XLZD Collaboration is developing an international experiment to search for WIMP dark matter down to the systematic limit imposed by astrophysical neutrinos. The experiment will be based on the heritage detector designs now operating at the 10-tonne scale implemented by the XENONnT and LUX-ZEPLIN collaborations, and further informed by work being carried out by the DARWIN R&D collaboration....
We will discuss the potential benefits of xenon doping in liquid argon for dark matter search experiments. Notably, doping liquid argon with xenon at the percent level is predicted to enhance the production and collection of electroluminescence light in a dual-phase argon detector, as well as improve its spatial resolution and temporal stability. At LLNL, we have constructed a test stand...
The bubble chamber approach of looking for spin dependent interactions between fluorine and dark matter has been quite impactful so far. The PICO collaboration is in the process of deploying PICO-500, a large 250 litre chamber filled with C3F8 at SNOLAB with an scheduled start of commissioning in late 2026. We will report on the design progress and the production aspects...
WIMP dark matter particles are expected to interact with liquid xenon producing nuclear recoils (NRs). It is critical for dark matter experiments to have accurate calibration of the detector response and correct modeling of xenon microphysics. The Migdal effect theorizes that when an atom is recoiling, an electron could be emitted, leading to ionization and greater energy deposition. This...
The DarkNESS (Dark Matter Nano-satellite Equipped with Skipper Sensors) mission will deploy a skipper-CCD CubeSat Observatory to search for dark matter (DM) from Low Earth Orbit. During its time in orbit, DarkNESS will observe the Galactic Center to probe O(keV) X-rays from decaying DM models, as well as perform a direct search for electron recoils from strongly-interacting sub-GeV DM. The...
Recent measurements have demonstrated that superconducting qubit decoherence is affected by radiation. As a result, many groups around the world are working to better understand the relationship between different types of radiation and qubit response. This crucial to quantum error correction because radiation can cause correlated loss of information across multiple qubits on a chip, defeating...
A new experimental setup for low mass particle dark matter searches has been installed at the Kamioka underground facility, with an overburden of 2700 m.w.e. Ambient gamma and neutron background levels have measured. A dilution refrigerator is operational with gamma and neutron shielding under construction. Geant simulations predict backgrounds of 10 events/kg/keV/day with this setup. Multiple...
In the last years, rare event searches hunting light dark matter particles or neutrinos via coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) have pushed their thresholds down to eV-scales. However, with the lower thresholds, the experiments started to measure events above their expected background level. These low-energy EXCESSES typically steeply rise towards low energies and...
The characteristic energy of a relic dark matter interaction with a detector scales strongly with the putative dark matter mass. Consequently, experimental search sensitivity at the lightest masses will always come from interactions whose size is similar to noise fluctuations and low energy backgrounds in the detector. In this talk, we will tackle this problem under two essential scenarios,...
The field of direct dark matter detection has recently entered the so-called neutrino fog, meaning that the most sensitive experiments are now detecting significant nuclear event rates caused by coherent scattering of solar neutrinos. Because the nuclear recoil directions for dark matter and neutrinos differ, new types of detectors capable of measuring these directions would have a powerful...
Current detection methods for Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter are approaching the so-called "neutrino fog," where irreducible background from solar neutrinos will obscure dark matter signals. To overcome this challenge, directional discrimination of events is critical. We propose developing a diamond-based particle detector that utilizes embedded quantum sensors to...
The XENONnT detector, located at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, in Italy, utilizes 5.9 tonnes of instrumented liquid xenon in the direct search for weakly-interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter. Having achieved unprecedented levels of target purity, it is sensitive to a plethora of signals beyond WIMPs. This talk will present an overview of the experiment and its perfomance in...
If dark matter is ultralight, the number density of dark matter is very high and the techniques of zero-temperature field theory are no longer valid. The dark matter number density modifies the vacuum giving it a non-negligible particle occupation number. For fermionic dark matter, this occupation number can be no larger than one. However, in the case of bosons the occupation number is...
The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is the first tonne-scale experiment using cryogenic calorimeters. The detector is located underground at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy and consists of 988 TeO2 crystals operated in a dilution refrigerator at a base temperature of about 10 mK. Thanks to the large exposure, sharp energy resolution, segmented...
Recent advances in levitated optomechanics have enabled the detection of tiny forces through precise control of microscopic objects in vacuum. These technologies present new experimental platforms to probe weakly coupled phenomena in particle and nuclear physics. I will describe a dark matter search based on optically trapped, femtogram-scale silica nanospheres. In ultra-high vacuum, the...
We explore how recent advancements in the manipulation of single ionic wave packets open new avenues for detecting weak magnetic fields sourced by ultralight dark matter. By leveraging the entanglement between the ion's spin and motional degrees of freedom, proposed trapped-ion matter-wave interferometers enable the measurement of the Aharonov-Bohm phase accumulated by the ion over its...
The age of WIMP-like dark matter direct detection is drawing to a close due to their non-detection at exquisitely sensitive liquid-noble detectors. However, models where the dark matter is lighter than the mass of a proton remain largely inaccessible to existing probes. Recently, molecular targets have emerged as particularly well-suited detector materials to look for this sub-GeV dark matter....
Dual-phase liquid xenon TPCs have the potential to discover sub-GeV dark matter. In this low-energy regime, the limiting background is due to the instrument itself in the form of delayed electron and photon emission. In this talk, we present new data explaining the mechanism for delayed emission. Furthermore, we describe steps towards a prototype xenon TPC with significantly reduced delayed...
The Belle II experiment has unique reach for a broad class of models that postulate the existence of dark matter particles with MeV—GeV masses. This talk presents recent world-leading physics results from Belle II searches for Z' bosons, axion-like particles, and dark scalars in association with two muons in e+e- collisions; long-lived (pseudo)scalars produced in decays of B-mesons; inelastic...
located at the University of Western Australia in Perth, Australia, the ORGAN (Oscillating Resonant Group AxioN) experiment is a microwave cavity axion haloscope that searches for axions in the 15–50 GHz mass range from the putative axion-photon coupling term g_agg , which began in 2017 [1]. The experiment has undergone several experimental runs, which will be detailed in this presentation...
The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) is a direct-detection axion dark matter search operating as one of the Department of Energy (DOE) "Generation 2" dark matter projects. ADMX searches for dark matter axions in the micro-eV mass range using a large (V ~ 100L) high-Q (Q ~ 40,000) electromagnetic cavity threaded by a moderate intensity magnetic field (B ~ 8T) to resonantly convert local halo...
The Haloscope At Yale Sensitive To Axion CDM (HAYSTAC) experiment is a microwave cavity search which is actively probing QCD axions with masses ≳$10\mu$eV. In this talk, I will present recent results from HAYSTAC's Phase II search for QCD axions between $16.96-19.46\mu$eV. These results are the widest search to date to achieve a quantum enhanced scan rate from a squeezed state reciever and...
ABRACADABRA-10cm has had great success as a lumped-element axion dark matter pathfinder experiment. Now, using the electrodynamics of gravitational waves and a simple change of pickup structures, we are using the ABRACADABRA detector to search for high-frequency gravitational wave in the kHz to MHz range. These higher frequencies may indicate signs of in-spiraling primordial black holes, or...
We present a novel approach to investigating axions and axion-like particles (ALPs) by studying their potential conversion into X-rays within the Sun’s atmospheric magnetic field. Utilizing high sensitivity data from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) collected during the
2020 solar minimum, along with advanced solar atmospheric magnetic field models, we establish a new limit...
The Princeton aXion Search (PXS) is a new experiment to search for QCD axion dark matter in the 0.8-2.1 ueV mass range (corresponding to 200-500 MHz frequency range). I describe development into all aspects of the experiment, including solenoidal magnet, cryogenics, amplifiers, and resonators. PXS leverages a strong partnership with the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) to build a 5T,...
The BREAD Collaboration is conducting R&D towards wide band dish antenna searches for axions using a unique coaxial antenna design which is well suited for deployment in large solenoid magnets and compatible with sub-kelvin detectors. We will discuss the overall BREAD (Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detector) program and its technology development, focusing on plans for detectors in...
The Migdal effect can greatly enhance the sensitivity of liquid xenon experiments to low-mass dark matter, and thus a direct confirmation of this effect is of paramount importance. However, Migdal searches with any target have proven to be challenging. Drawing on experimental efforts at LLNL, I will discuss the feasibility of directly observing Migdal signals in liquid xenon and analyze the...
Xenon in gaseous and liquid form is a widely used target material for rare-event searches, including the direct detection of dark matter. Its scintillation properties in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum are well-known and extensively used. However, the potential of infrared (IR) scintillation light remains largely unexplored. Characterising this IR component is important for evaluating possible...
The underlying nature of dark matter significantly impacts the formation and evolution of halos, as well as the properties of the subhalo population they host. The inner region of a subhalo's density distribution is particularly sensitive to dark matter microphysics, with alternative dark matter models leading to both cored and steeply-rising inner density profiles. This work investigates how...
Understanding the dark matter (DM) distribution within the inner few kpc of the Milky Way (MW) is essential to probe the particle nature of DM, and set the correct predictions for DM detection experiments. However, it is difficult to directly measure the density profile of DM in the inner galaxy, thus we rely on predictions from cosmological simulations.We characterize and compare the DM...
Hawking radiation sets stringent constraints on Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) as a dark matter candidate in the $M \sim 10^{16} \ \mathrm{g}$ regime based on the evaporation products such as photons, electrons, and positrons motivating the need for rigorous modeling of the Hawking emission spectrum. Using semi-classical arguments, Page [Phys. Rev. D 16, 2402 (1977)] showed that the emission of...
From the most detailed map of the cosmic microwave background at the end of the recombination epoch, the Plank Collaboration deduced the existence of the baryonic dark matter (DM) in the ratio 1:5 to the non-baryonic DM. So, the baryonic DM does exist. The explanation of a puzzling observation by Bowman et al (2018) of the redshifted 21 cm spectral line from the early Universe, where it was...
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has unlocked the ability to observe the UV radiation of galaxies hundreds or thousands of times less massive and fainter than the Milky Way at “cosmic dawn," the earliest period of galaxy formation in our Universe. In the Lambda-CDM paradigm, galaxy growth occurs hierarchically through the conglomeration of these tiny structures, which hold a tenuous...
Located at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory, the PandaX experiment employs xenon as a target to detect rare physics signals, such as dark matter and neutrinos. The PandaX-4T, the latest generation detector featuring a 4-ton xenon target volume, commenced data collection in 2020. One of our objectives is to unravel the nature of dark matter by investigating various potential signatures....
The cryogenic scintillating calorimeters (CSCs) instrumented with transition edge sensors are detectors sensitive to tiny energy depositions down to O(eV), so far optimized to search for nuclear recoils induced by dark matter or neutrinos.
The OvDES project is dedicated to the phenomenology of electronic excitations induced by dark matter or neutrino in CSCs, with a focus on NaI target...
We studied the formation and evolution of the nonlinear dark matter halo structures in different eras and identified a critical particle mass of $10^{12}$GeV. Particles of this mass can have a free streaming mass comparable to the particle mass. Via direct collisions, these particles can form the smallest halo structure as early as $10^{-6}$s with a critical density ratio of $32\pi^2$ in the...
The current status of the search for dark matter from the DEAP-3600 experiment will be presented, along with a detailed description of the analysis techniques. DEAP-3600 is a direct detection experiment that uses 3.3 tonnes of liquid argon as its target material. Located over 2 km underground at SNOLAB in Sudbury, Canada, the detector is designed to observe scintillation light from nuclear...
The DarkSide program at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) aims to detect dark matter WIMP particles using a dual-phase Liquid Argon (LAr) Time Projection Chamber (TPC). Since 2015, the DarkSide-50 detector, featuring a 50-kg active mass dual-phase LAr TPC filled with low-radioactivity argon sourced from underground, has produced world-class results for both low-mass and high-mass...
The QCD axion is one of the most well-motivated dark matter candidates as its discovery would also solve the long-standing strong-CP problem. DMRadio-50L aims to detect low-mass axion dark matter through its interaction with photons. Targeting axions in the 5 kHz to 5 MHz range, DMRadio-50L will employ a lumped-element LC resonator to enhance the axion signal. Presently undergoing...
The thermal history and structure of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at $z \geq 4$ is an important boundary condition for reionization, and a key input for studies using the Ly$\alpha$ forest to constrain the masses of alternative dark matter candidates. Most such inferences rely on simulations that lack the spatial resolution to fully resolve the hydrodynamic response of IGM filaments and...
In Fuzzy Dark Matter, the quantum nature of the axion dark matter field induces granular density variations within halos, commonly referred to as "granules". These granules exert stochastic perturbations on the orbits of subhalos, leading to their redistribution over time. Previous work has modeled these effects using a diffusion-based approach. In this study, we propose an alternative...
My presentation will discuss the role of Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) as a component of dark matter throughout cosmic history. I will specifically focus on PBH candidates in the solar mass range of approximately 10-100 $M_{\odot}$ and massive PBHs of $10^6 M_{\odot}$ as possible seeds for first galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBHs).
Our research utilizes N-body simulations with the...
Experiments that aim to directly detect dark matter have placed increasingly constraining bounds on the cross section for interaction between dark matter and standard model particles. This requires an understanding of the phase-space distribution function (DF) of dark matter in the detector volume, which is a longstanding source of astrophysical uncertainty. We study the dark matter DF in 98...
Although various experiments have investigated potential non-gravitational interactions between dark matter and baryons, clear evidence for such interactions is still missing. Stringent constraints on several models have been established through observations of the cosmic microwave background and direct detection experiments. Nevertheless, dark matter-baryon interactions may still play a...
The primary goal of the XENONnT experiment is to search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), a leading theoretical candidate for dark matter. In its second science run, XENONnT accumulated a total live time of ~186 days. During this run, the radon removal system was operated in high-flow mode, achieving a significant reduction of about 50% in the concentration of Rn-222 compared...
Pu-241 is a newly proposed nuclide for studying the nature of neutrinos to complement tritium-based experiments. Pu-241 decays via first-forbidden non-unique beta minus decays with 20.8 keV Q-value, making it suitable for keV sterile neutrino search as well as active neutrinos mass measurement. MAGNETO-v experiment uses magnetic microcalorimeters in conjunction with SQUID magnetometers to...
We report a measurement of the ionization efficiency of silicon nuclei recoiling with sub-keV kinetic energy in the bulk silicon of a skipper charge-coupled device (CCD). This energy range is relevant for the detection of low-mass dark matter particles. Nuclear recoils are produced by low-energy neutrons (<24 keV) from a $^{124}$Sb-$^{9}$Be photoneutron source, and their ionization signal is...
Compact objects as dark matter have historically been constrained by their dynamical effects. Since these objects can participate in hard few-body scattering processes, they can readily transfer energy to visible objects, with effects such as the disruption of wide binaries. However, binary disruption is not the only possible outcome of such few-body encounters. I will discuss recent work on...
DMRadio-50L is a resonant low-mass axion search utilizing a low-noise amplifier. The experiment’s sensitivity depends on tuning the resonator-amplifier coupling to approach a quantum-limited amplifier noise. This frequency-dependent coupling must be optimized in real-time across the experiment’s frequency range. In this poster, I will introduce a tunable transformer developed for this purpose...
The nature of dark matter (DM), which constitutes about 80% of the Universe's matter, remains one of the most profound mysteries in physics. While the cold dark matter (CDM) paradigm successfully explains large-scale structure formation, small-scale tensions motivate the exploration of alternative DM models. These include warm DM, ultralight DM, and interacting DM candidates.
One promising...
I will illustrate the groundbreaking potential of strong gravitational lensing as a tool to probe the substructures within dark matter halos, which are integral to comprehensive cosmic formation models. I simulated and evaluated the capabilities of imminent adaptive optics systems coupled with advanced detectors on ground-based telescopes, such as the Keck Telescope systems, the Thirty Meter...
The continued absence of a conclusive direct detection of conventional, GeV-scale particle dark matter has recently increased focus on developing low-threshold detector technologies capable of sensing a variety of light (sub-GeV) and ultralight dark matter candidates. Many such detectors rely on athermal phonon sensing, in which meV-scale phonons from a DM scatter are sensed via their ability...
Liquid xenon time projection chambers (LXe TPCs) represent the forefront of sensitivity in WIMP dark matter direct detection. The goal of the next-generation experiment XLZD (XENON-LZ-DARWIN) is to explore the WIMP parameter space down to the neutrino fog, where coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering dominates. Achieving this demands a combination of ultra-low background levels and a tenfold...
The Belle II experiment has unique reach for a broad class of models that postulate the existence of dark matter particles with MeV—GeV masses. This talk presents recent world-leading physics results from Belle II searches for Z' bosons, axion-like particles, and dark scalars in association with two muons in e+e- collisions; long-lived (pseudo)scalars produced in decays of B-mesons; inelastic...
DMRadio-GUT (grand unified theory) is a planned experiment that will search for GUT-scale axion dark matter in the 0.4-120 neV mass range (0.1-30 MHz). This region of axion parameter space is particularly compelling because it probes the pre-inflationary axion, thereby offering a unique view into the early universe prior to the moments of inflation. Axions at these masses also emerge naturally...
Due to shrinking of the parameter space for WIMP-scale dark matter, in recent years attention has shifted to probes of sub-GeV dark matter. In this work, we explore the direct detection prospects through single/multiphonon production for dark matter in the keV-GeV mass range, which couples effectively to protons/neutrons via spin-dependent interactions. In particular, we consider coupling the...
LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a direct detection dark matter experiment located nearly a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota, USA employing a 7 tonne active volume of liquid xenon in a dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC). It is further surrounded by a three-component veto system: an instrumented 2-tonne liquid xenon skin, a near-hermetic gadolinium-loaded...
In this talk, “Bottom-up” and “top-down” approaches are presented for the formation and evolution of the nonlinear dark matter structures in different eras. Results strongly suggest a superheavy dark matter scenario with a critical particle mass of $10^{12}$GeV. Superheavy right-handed neutrinos of this mass can be a very promising candidate. The sterile neutrinos of mass $10^{12}$GeV can...
The first structures of particle dark matter form by gravitationally condensing out of the smooth mass distribution of the early universe. This formation mechanism leaves these prompt cusps with uniquely compact r-1.5 density profiles and links their properties tightly with the primordial mass and velocity distributions. Although they are the oldest elements of cosmic structure,...
For scattering cross sections large enough to make the detector in direct searches optically thick to
the incident dark matter, dedicated multi-scatter signatures are being sought. We provide some sig-
nificant updates to the multi-scatter program. First, we refine earlier treatments of the dark matter
flux through detectors, generalizing to arbitrary geometries and velocity distributions....
Primordial black holes (PBHs) in the asteroid-mass regime ($M \sim 10^{16}-10^{21}$ grams, $T_{\rm Hawking} \sim 1 $ MeV$ - 10$ eV) continue to persevere as a candidate for all the dark matter content of the universe. If PBHs have existed for an extended period of cosmic history, their Hawking radiation could have sizeable imprints in the cosmic history of the intergalactic medium (IGM),...
Dark Stars, hypothesized to have formed during the cosmic dawn era, are unique stellar objects powered by dark matter annihilation, which provides the energy necessary to counteract gravitational collapse. These stars can achieve immense sizes and luminosities, rivaling entire galaxies. Consequently, they may serve as precursors to the many observed supermassive black holes at high redshift,...
