Event Category: 4D Seminar

4D Seminar series:
Monday at 2:30 on campus

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Abstract: I’ll describe a set of simple methods to directly search for sub-MeV particle dark matter using strong electric and magnetic fields. As an application, I’ll describe how these methods can provide sensitivity to the freeze-in (through ultra-light mediator) dark matter parameter space below ~MeV. I’ll also comment on how existing and planned experiments can be adapted to make progress … Read More

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Abstract: Direct searches for TeV-scale Dark Matter (DM) are extremely powerful. However, existing constraints become increasingly weak when the dominant scatteringis inelastic, and they disappear completely when the mass splitting $\delta$ between nearby DM states exceeds $350$ keV. In this work, we show how this ‘inelastic frontier’ can be probed when the DM upscatters against heavy elements in the Earth. … Read More

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Abstract: Current dark matter direct detection searches can be split into two broad classes: elastic scattering and absorption, with the latter reserved purely for bosonic dark matter. In this work, we study a new class of signal: absorption of fermionic dark matter. We present the lowest-dimension operators which make this possible, their implications, and their simple UV completions. Most importantly, … Read More

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In a seminal paper, John Preskill showed how gauge theories in the Higgs phase can couple consistently to anomalous matter content. This formulation is complementary to the traditional approach in which gauge theories with an anomalous fermion content necessitate gauged-WZW terms that cancel the fermion anomaly. The gauge invariant statement that follows is that anomalous theories in the Higgs phase … Read More

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In this talk I will discuss the transverse momentum distribution of partons inside a proton, which are encoded by transverse-momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDPDFs). These TMDPDFs are important for predicting LHC cross sections, like the momentum spectrum for Higgs bosons or Drell-Yan, and also provide a means to probe the nature of confinement. The field theory definition of TMDPDFs … Read More

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Abstract: Conventional methods for searching for new physics at the LHC have mostly been “top-down”: starting from a specific model, searches are designed and optimized to have the best sensitivity to that model. Despite hundreds of conventional new physics searches at the LHC, none have turned up any hint of new physics. Maybe it’s time to admit that we don’t … Read More

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The construction of inflationary models in the context of no-scale supergravity is discussed. The connection between no-scale models and R+R^2 gravity models is emphasized allowing for the construction of Starobinsky-like models of inflation. General constructions of Minkowski and deSitter vacua in no-scale supergravity is also discussed. In this context it is possible to include supersymmetry breaking and a residual cosmological … Read More

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In this talk, I will detail two ways to search for low-mass axion dark matter using cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization measurements. These appear, in particular, to be some of the most promising ways to directly detect fuzzy dark matter. Axion dark matter causes rotation of the polarization of light passing through it. This gives rise to two novel phenomena … Read More