Dark Matter Searches with Astrophysical Objects

Jul 18, 2023 - 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Location

Hewlett Teaching Center, Room 200 and online - Register here

KIPAC Public Lectures
Speaker
Dr. Rebecca Leane (KIPAC/SLAC)

Dark Matter Searches with Astrophysical Objects

While multiple lines of evidence suggest the existence of dark matter in the Universe, the theory describing it remains completely unknown and requires new search ideas to resolve its identity. It turns out that stars and planets can be ideal playgrounds to discover dark matter. In this lecture, Dr. Rebecca Leane will review a range of dark matter searches using celestial objects, including exoplanets, solar-system planets, the Sun, and the Earth. She will discuss different search strategies, their opportunities and limitations, and the interplay of regimes where different celestial objects are optimal dark matter detectors.

Rebecca Leane

About the Speaker

Dr. Rebecca Leane is a staff scientist in the Particle Theory Group and KIPAC at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. She got her Master’s degree from University of Cambridge and PhD from University of Melbourne. Before joining SLAC, she was a postdoctoral researcher in the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics. Rebecca’s research aims to reveal the fundamental nature of dark matter. Currently, she particularly enjoys exploring new ways that astrophysical systems can be exploited to look for new particles, including dark matter or other “Beyond the Standard Model” physics.

Directions and Parking

This event will take place in the Hewlett Teaching Center (370 Jane Stanford Way) on the Stanford campus. Upon arrival, please check in in the foyer of the building and follow signs for Room 200.

The closest visitor parking is in the Via Ortega Garage and along the Stanford Oval. All parking is free in spaces marked Visitor, A, or C after 4pm unless indicated otherwise. Accessible parking is also available along the Stanford Oval.

If you plan to take public transportation, some lines of the Marguerite Shuttle connect between the Palo Alto Transit Center and the campus. You can get to the Hewlett Teaching Center by taking Line P (drops off at the Stanford Oval), Line X (drops off at the ChEM-H Building on Jane Stanford Way), and Line Y (picks up across from the ChEM-H Building on Jane Stanford Way). A complete list of shuttle schedules and route maps can be found here.