Fundamental Physics Seminar Series - Direct Gravitational Detection of Dark Matter

3:00pm - 4:00pm
IAS4042, 4/F, Lo Ka Chung Building, Lee Shau Kee Campus, HKUST

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Abstract

The only known interaction between dark matter and the standard model is gravitational, making existing and upcoming gravitational wave experiments ideal as probes to directly detect dark matter. The speaker argues that pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) and gravitational wave detectors can serve as valuable tools in the detection of dark matter. Dark matter substructure within the Milky Way Galaxy can induce gravitational pulls on pulsars, leading to observable deviations in pulsar timings. The speaker will demonstrate that dark matter models predicting enhanced power on small scales (<pc) are potentially within the reach of future PTA experiments, such as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA). This includes a class of post-inflationary QCD axion models known as axion miniclusters. He will also discuss pipelines for searching for dark matter signals in PTA datasets and recent results from the 15-year data release of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav), which has reported evidence of a stochastic gravitational background. Furthermore, dark matter particles with a mass on the kilogram scale can also produce signals in laser interferometry-based gravitational wave experiments. The speaker will discuss the signals and detection prospects from current and future gravitational wave experiments, such as LIGO and the Einstein Telescope.


About the Speaker

Dr. Vincent LEE is a theoretical particle physicist interested in a diverse range of topics in high-energy theory, phenomenology, astrophysics, and cosmology. He obtained his bachelor's degree in physics from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2019 and his PhD from Caltech in 2024. He subsequently held a visiting scholar position at UCSD, and is now a full-time postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley.


About the Center for Fundamental Physics

For more information, please refer to https://cfp.hkust.edu.hk/.


For Attendees' Attention

Seating is on a first come, first served basis.

Event Format
Speakers / Performers:
Dr. Vincent LEE
University of California, Berkeley
Language
English
Recommended For
Faculty and staff
PG students
UG students
Organizer
HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study
Contact
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