Burcin Mutlu-Pakdil
Dartmouth College

 

Abstract

TBA

 

Timbits, coffee, tea will be served in STI A before the colloquium.

 

 

 

Renee Hlozek
University of Toronto

 

Abstract

Ultra-light axions are a promising dark matter candidate well motivated by high energy physics. While detection experiments hold great promise for axion detection, cosmological observations are a window into the dark sector that is not probed by detector experiments.  I will present a range of constraints on axions, including some from small-scale measurements of the CMB, measurements of clustering like the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) and the Dark Energy Survey (DES), and high-redshift measurements of the UV luminosity function as probed by HST and JWST. I'll also describe the new world that will be ushered in by the Simons Observatory (SO), a new experiment currently being built on Cerro Toco in Chile.

 

Timbits, coffee, tea will be served in STI A before the colloquium.

 

 

 

Annika Lennarz
McMaster University

 

Abstract

Nuclear beta and electron capture (EC) decay serve as sensitive probes of the structure and symmetries at the microscopic scale of our Universe. As such, precision measurements of the final-state products in these processes can be used as powerful laboratories to search for new physics, as well as addressing fundamental questions of quantum mechanics at the subatomic scale.

For the past few years, the BeEST (Beryllium Electron capture in Superconducting Tunnel junctions) collaboration has taken the approach of embedding EC decaying radioisotopes in thin-film superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) to precisely measure the recoiling atom that gets an eV-scale "kick" from the neutrino following EC decay. Since these recoils must conserve energy and momentum with the neutrino, they carry unique and potentially "hidden" signatures of weakly coupled beyond standard model (BSM) physics; including neutrino mass, exotic weak currents, and potential "dark" particles created within the Q-value window of the decay. Such measurements provide a complimentary and (crucially) model-independent portal to the dark sector with sensitivities that push towards synergy between laboratory and cosmological probes.

Recent advances in rare isotope beam production, combined with decades of development in sensing technology have opened exciting new experimental opportunities for conducting fundamental tests of nature involving unstable nuclei. In this presentation, I will explore the experimental concept of utilizing rare-isotope-doped STJs to investigate beyond the Standard Model physics through weak nuclear decay and showcase notable recent experimental achievements.

The BeEST experiment is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics, TRIUMF (Canada), EMPIR (Europe), and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

 

Timbits, coffee, tea will be served in STI A before the colloquium.

 

 

 

QPUMP Research
 

 

Abstract

We showcase the varied ongoing research in the Department. Graduate students from different research groups will show their research, then be present at a "poster"/discussion session. In parallel, lab tours of a few research labs in the department will be offered.

 

 

 

Saniya Heeba
McGill University

Abstract:

The microphysical properties of Dark Matter (DM), such as its mass and coupling strength, are typically assumed to retain their vacuum values when considering DM behaviour at a range of scales. However, DM interactions in different astrophysical and cosmological environments may be impacted by the properties of the background which in turn can substantially affect both DM production and the detection prospects for any given model. In the recent years, this has generated a lot of interest in calculating DM observables at finite temperature and density. 

In this talk, I will provide an overview of what these effects are, and how they may give rise to new DM production mechanisms as well as impact observables.

McDonald Institute seminars bring together experimental and theoretical astroparticle physicists and astronomers. They are held approximately fortnightly, September to November and January to March, and on an ad hoc basis outside of term. They currently take place on Thursdays at 1:30 PM in STI 501 and/or on Zoom. Contact Joe Bramante, Melissa Diamond, or Aaron Vincent if you would like to attend through zoom.