New directions EXploring the Unknown beyond the Standard Model (NEXUS 2026)

Session

Plenary talks (2)

11 Sept 2026, 09:00

Tsung-Dao Lee Institute/S5F-S500 - Lecture Room (Tsung-Dao Lee Institute)

54. As simple as possible, but not simpler

Pyungwon Ko (Korea Institute for Advanced Study)

11/09/2026, 09:00

When data anomalies are observed, it is a common practice to assume some toy models, simplified models, or EFT and interpret the anomalies. In particular, one tends to minimize the number of new physical degrees of freedom, as well as the number of couplings. In this talk, I will describe a few examples in physics of flavors and dark matter, where this simple-minded approach leads to incorrect...

78. TBA

Zhen Liu (University of Minnesota)

11/09/2026, 09:30

5. Reviving primordial black hole formation in slow first-order phase transitions

Prof. Ke-Pan Xie (Beihang University)

11/09/2026, 10:30

Large curvature perturbations generated during slow first-order phase transitions are a promising source of primordial black holes. However, recent analyses suggested that the mechanism is ruled out once the density contrast and the formation threshold are evaluated in the same gauge. In this work, we show that this mechanism remains viable: after a supercooled transition, reheating can be...

31. First-order phase transitions, primordial black holes, scalar-induced gravitational waves, and sound-wave gravitational waves from early Universe

Shao-Jiang Wang (Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

11/09/2026, 11:00

Oral Presentation

In this talk, I first introduce the hydrodynamic sound-shell model for gravitational waves from sound waves of first-order phase transitions, then we investigate the primordial black hole formations from the delayed-decay regions of first-order phase transitions, next we study the scalar-induced gravitational waves with non-Gaussianity up to all orders, and finally we propose sound-wave...

69. TBA

Peter Athron (Nanjing Normal University)

11/09/2026, 11:30

55. Revisiting Minimal Dark Matter Models

Koichi Hamaguchi (University of Tokyo)

11/09/2026, 13:20

We revisit several minimal extensions of the Standard Model for dark matter. Depending on time, we discuss some or all of the following: (i) a scalar dark matter with higher-dimensional operators, where thermal misalignment provides a viable production mechanism; (ii) Majorana fermion dark matter with a coannihilating scalar, with the bino-slepton scenario in supersymmetry as a concrete...

43. Probing Ultralight Dark Matter with Laser Interferometers in Space

Yong Tang (University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

11/09/2026, 13:50

I will present my recent works on Probing Ultralight Dark Matter with Laser Interferometers in Space.

50. Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Ray Boosted Relic Neutrinos

Jiajun Liao (Sun Yat-sen University)

11/09/2026, 14:20

Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) can boost relic neutrinos to high energies through Standard Model (SM) neutral-current interactions, providing an indirect probe of the cosmic neutrino background (CνB). In this talk, I will discuss a systematic study of the diffuse UHECR-boosted CνB flux including elastic neutrino-nucleon scattering (ES), coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering...

23. Novel signature of axion-like particles at neutrino experiments

Ningqiang Song (Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

11/09/2026, 15:20

Novel signature of axion-like particles at neutrino experiments

66. Comprehensive Effective Field Theory Framework for Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering

Gang Li (Sun Yat-Sen University)

11/09/2026, 15:50

Oral Presentation

Coherent elastic neutrino–nucleus scattering (CEνNS) provides a powerful probe of Standard Model neutral-current interactions, neutrino properties, nuclear structure, and new physics. In this talk, I will present a comprehensive EFT framework for CEνNS that systematically connects high-energy ultraviolet scenarios to low-energy nuclear recoil observables. By incorporating LEFT operators up to...

72. Cosmological Signatures of Neutrino Seesaw Mechanism

Chengcheng Han (Sun Yat-sen university)

11/09/2026, 16:20