The existence of dark matter has been well established with overwhelming evidence, but its particle identity is still unknown. For more than three decades, significant theoretical and experimental efforts have been directed towards the search for a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP), often overlooking other possibilities. The lack of an unambiguous positive WIMP signal, at both indirect- and direct-detection experiments … Read More

Abstract: In this talk I will review some of the recent developments of reformulating Quantum Field Theory in terms of novel geometric structures. Concretely, I am going to motivate how the dual formulation of scattering amplitudes in planar N=4 sYM theory in terms of on-shell diagrams, the positive Grassmannian and its uplift into the amplituhedron naturally leads to the appearance … Read More

Abstract : Lasing of ultralight axion condensate into photons can be sensitive to the presence of a background plasma owing to its coupling to electromagnetism. Such a scenario is particularly relevant for superradiant axion condensate around stellar mass black holes since the axion mass can be within a few orders of magnitude of the plasma frequency of the surrounding medium. … Read More

Conformal symmetry is a natural symmetry in physics since it is the full symmetry of the light cone. If all particles are to get their masses by symmetry breaking then conformal symmetry is the symmetry of the unbroken Lagrangian. Like Yang-Mills theories conformal symmetry has a local extension, namely conformal gravity, a pure metric-based candidate alternative to the non-conformal invariant … Read More

Traditional searches for fermionic top partners have focused on particles that can be described by Breit-Wigner resonances. We consider a broader setting in which the top and gauge partners responsible for cutting off the Higgs potential are not particles, but rather gapped continuum states at a critical point. For concreteness, we realize this critical point in a 5D soft wall … Read More

Understanding the properties of our dark matter halo is relevant to both astrophysics as it informs the formation history of our galaxy, and particle physics in that it impacts the interpretation of dark matter experiments. This talk reviews the spherical cow assumptions that underly the model for the halo that is typically assumed, and then questions those assumptions, making clear … Read More

A light bosonic field mediates a long-range “fifth” force between objects. It is known that if the field has large self-interactions, experimental constraints on such forces are weakened due to a screening effect. We explore how technically natural values of such self-interactions lead to substantial modification of existing constraints. We will show how natural interactions lead to new constraints, contrary … Read More