2020 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Developing new tools to search for dark matter
| Project/Area Number |
20K14460
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
Stadnik Yevgeny 東京大学, カブリ数物連携宇宙研究機構, 特任助教 (60866797)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
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| Keywords | Dark matter / Dark energy / Dark sector |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
In my paper [Stadnik, Physical Review D 102, 115016 (2020)], I have identified novel signatures in models of macroscopic topological defects, such as cosmological domain walls. These novel signatures include apparent quasi-non-transient variations of the fundamental constants of nature, such as the electromagnetic fine-structure constant \alpha. By studying these novel signatures and using existing experimental data, I have derived new bounds on models of cosmological domain walls that have improved over previous limits by up to 15 orders of magnitude.
In my paper [Stadnik, arXiv:2010.01798, currently under review], I have discovered that accelerometers can be used as sensitive probes of spatial gradients in the electromagnetic fine-structure constant \alpha on cosmological length scales. Using existing experimental data from accelerometers, I have placed new bounds on a possible cosmological spatial gradient in \alpha that have improved over limits from other state-of-the-art laboratory measurements by an order of magnitude.
In our paper [Stadnik, arXiv:2102.12143, currently under review], we have surveyed models of ultra-low-mass feebly interacting particles, which may explain the observed dark matter, and have derived new benchmarks on these models to guide new research in this field.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.
Reason
Research is slightly delayed due to the disruptive effects of COVID-19, including working from home and more limited opportunities to collaborate with international researchers.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
My future plans remain unchanged, as per my proposed project. Specifically, I plan to continue to identify new effects of dark matter and dark components and propose new ways of searching for such effects, as well as work with experimental groups and collaborations to implement these new methods.
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