Hunting Dark Matter with Gravitational Waves and Astrophysical Methods

by Mr Yue Zhao (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

Monday 23 Mar 2026, 11:00 → 13:00 Asia/Shanghai

Tsung-Dao Lee Institute/N6F-N600 - Lecture Room (Tsung-Dao Lee Institute)

Title: Hunting Dark Matter with Gravitational Waves and Astrophysical Methods

Abstract: This talk will explore a range of astrophysical methods for dark matter detection. I will begin by focusing on the use of gravitational-wave detectors as multi-purpose dark matter observatories. The first part of the talk will demonstrate how data from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration can be leveraged to distinguish between annihilating WIMPs and a population of millisecond pulsars as the source of the long-standing GeV gamma-ray excess at the Galactic Center. I will then show how these same detectors can be used for the direct detection of ultralight dark matter candidates, such as dark photons, axions, and dilations. The final part of my talk will extend this discussion to other astrophysical methods, such as PTA, focusing in particular on new strategies to search for axions.

Biography: Dr. Zhao received his bachelor's degree from Peking University in 2007 and his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 2012. He then held postdoctoral positions at Stanford University/SLAC and the University of Michigan before joining the University of Utah as a faculty in 2018. In 2025, he moves to HKUST as an associate professor. His research spans a wide range of disciplines, with a particular focus on innovative strategies for searching for dark matter and exploring new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. He also leads the LIGO gravitational wave group at HKUST. As a theorist, he collaborates closely with experimentalists.

Meeting ID:705632411 No password