Dr. Maxim Pospelov, University of Minnesota

Dark Matter snooker

Despite enormous experimental investment in searches of particle dark matter, certain well-motivated corners of parameter space remain to be elusive “blind spots” for direct detection. In my talk I will address two of such exceptions: light particles that simply do not have enough kinetic energy to detect, and strongly-interacting particles that quickly thermalize and also become sub-threshold for direct detection. I show that both blind spots can be probed through double collisions of Dark matter – first with some energetic Standard model particles (solar electrons, cosmic rays, particles in a beam, neutrons in nuclear reactors etc) that bring DM to energies above thresholds followed by the scattering inside a detector. This way, I derive novel constraints on light dark matter, as well as strongly-interacting dark matter models, using existing dark matter and neutrino experiments. 

Dr. Maxim Pospelov, University of Minnesota

New developments in EDM theory

Over the last 10 years there has been a large progress in experiments testing the coupling of electron spin to electric field. These experiments are often referred to as “electron dipole moment experiments” (or EDMs). In my talk I will show how the Standard Model CP-violation leads to the coupling of electron spin to the electric field, and argue that the most important mechanism is related to the spin interaction with the nucleus. I will finish the talk with some comments on lattice attempts to calculate neutron EDM induced by theta QCD.

Prof. Debayan Mitra, Indiana University Bloomington

Molecular Advantage for Quantum Science Applications

In recent years, cold and ultracold molecules have emerged as a mature platform for quantum simulation, computation, chemistry and precision measurements. Molecules provide unique features and challenges compared to their atomic analogs. In this talk, I will discuss two avenues where molecular advantage plays a key role. First, I will discuss how the molecules CaH and CaD can be used as a vehicle to produce ultracold and trapped hydrogen and deuterium atoms for precision measurement. I will discuss the process of formation of the molecules CaH and CaD and our latest efforts towards laser cooling it. Second, I will talk about the planned pathway to building a quantum gas microscope of laser cooled fermionic molecules with tunable long-range interactions. I will describe how the molecule MgF possesses many of the properties favorable to both laser cooling and single-site imaging. I will also discuss some of the challenges posed by this new class of molecules with UV transitions.

Dr. Rebecca Larson, Rochester Institute of Technology

Advancements in Exploring the Early Universe: Unlocking the Mysteries of Galaxies During the Reionization Era

The history of galaxies in the early Universe remains substantially unknown. The mystery surrounding these galaxies is primarily a result of the epoch in which they existed. During the epoch of reionization (z>6), the Universe experienced its last major phase change, where the neutral gas permeating the intergalactic medium [IGM] became ionized. Light emitted from early galaxies was often blocked by this neutral gas (or “cosmic fog”), preventing restframe ultraviolet [UV] spectroscopic studies of this epoch except for faint traces of light detectable in the near-infrared [NIR] from the brightest sources. Before 2022, the high-redshift field was restricted due to limited ground- and space-based instrumentation probing NIR wavelengths and beyond. Much of what we learned spectroscopically about these galaxies during this time came from a handful of bright UV metal emission lines or far-infrared [FIR] emission (generally with only 1-2 lines detected in individual galaxies). These data only came after fighting for hours using the most massive telescopes on the ground and in space. Since the advent of JWST, the high-redshift field has exploded with new science probing wavelengths and redshifts previously inaccessible. Using the advanced spectroscopic NIR capabilities of the JWST, we have found increasingly distant galaxies and characterized these sources within the heart of the epoch of reionization [EoR] for the first time. In this talk, I will discuss the state of the high-redshift field before and after the launch of JWST – highlighting our work from the Cosmic Evolution and Early Release Science [CEERS] survey, among other key early release science [ERS] & Cycle 1-3 programs. These new data have led to the discovery of an unexpected abundance of bright galaxies and active galactic nuclei [AGN] in the EoR, providing insights into the roles that the nature of these early galaxies and the nurturing from their environments played in the reionization of the Universe.

Prof. Felix Ringer, Stony Brook University

From Qubits to Quarks: Quantum Computing Meets Nuclear Physics

The strong force in nature, described by the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), governs the interaction of quarks and gluons, which constitute the main building blocks of the visible universe. Since its development over five decades ago, various fundamental questions have remained unanswered despite significant theoretical and experimental efforts: How do the dynamics of quarks and gluons give rise to emergent structures such as nucleons and nuclei? What is the phase diagram of nuclear matter, and what are the real-time and non-equilibrium dynamics at collider experiments and in the early universe? While significant progress has been made on the theory side using perturbative techniques and lattice QCD, the answers to some of the most challenging questions are expected to be beyond the capabilities of classical computing. Advances in quantum computing coupled with the development of innovative algorithms motivate the exploration of quantum simulations to address these questions. In this talk, I will discuss recent progress toward quantum simulations for fundamental particle and nuclear physics, covering both discrete (qubit) and continuous variable (qumode) approaches.

Prof. Hal Haggard, Bard College

Falling Cats, Tunneling of Quantum Geometries, and Quantum Gravity

After his departure, a legend began to build about Maxwell’s time at Trinity College, Cambridge. The story went that he would toss cats from school windows to watch them land upright on their padded paws. (This was not so.) I will describe the true fascination that Maxwell, and many physicists after him, have had with falling cats. Indeed, a falling cat is a remarkably accessible example of a gauge theory and turns out to be mathematically identical to a model of the simplest grain of space used in loop quantum gravity. Insights garnered from this model are allowing us to create detailed pictures of the tunneling of quantum geometry in quantum gravity. This new realm of application for quantum tunneling is unexpected and rich, already lending new perspectives on quantum gravity. I aim to build upon these simpler models to describe the late stages of the evaporation of black holes and the possibility of their quantum metamorphosis into white holes.

Dr. Todd Martinez, Stanford University

Title and abstract TBA

UConn Particles, Astrophysics, and Nuclei Seminar Series.

Dr. Neill Warrington, MIT (Title and abstract forthcoming)

Contact: Prof. Gerald Dunne