by
MrsMarianne Moore(Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Tracy Slatye)
→
Asia/Shanghai
Online
Online
Description
Abstract:
The existence of dark matter is ubiquitous in cosmological data, yet numerous particle detectors have been thoroughly looking for it without any success. Many searches focus on weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) and have put tight bounds on their potential mass and interaction strength. Another viable candidate is strongly interacting dark matter, which scatters with protons and neutrons through a cross section larger than the weak nuclear force. For this type of dark matter, the experimental bounds are actually very weak. Here I will describe a strategy to strengthen these bounds by up-scattering this type of dark matter to energies resolvable by current particle detectors. This can be done using underground nuclear accelerators, such as LUNA in Gran Sasso or by making use of the high temperature in thermal sources. Together, nuclear accelerators and thermal sources are promising approaches to hunt for dark matter.
Brief Biography:
- Honours Physics undergraduate degree at McGill University (2016 - 2019)
- Physics masters degree at the University of British Columbia and TRIUMF with David Morrissey and David McKeen (2019 - 2021)
- Physics PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Tracy Slatyer (2021 - ...)
