| Wednesday, March 22, 2023 |
| HEP Journal Club | |
| Event Type: Other | |
| Time: 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM | |
| Location: 726 Broadway, 940, CCPP Seminar | |
| Mechanical sensors for dark matter | |
| David Moore, Yale | |
| Event Type: HEP Seminar | |
| Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | |
| Location: 726 Broadway, 940, CCPP Seminar | |
| Abstract: The development of optomechanical systems has revolutionized the detection of tiny forces over the past few decades. As such technologies reach (and surpass) quantum measurement limits, they can enable new searches for weakly coupled phenomena, including dark matter, gravitational waves, ``fifth’’ forces, and sterile neutrinos. As a demonstration of these techniques, I will describe an initial search for dark matter using an optically levitated nanogram mass sensor, which can exceed the sensitivity of even large underground detectors for certain classes of dark matter candidates in a few days of exposure. If a signal were detected, such sensors would also be able to correlate its direction with earth’s motion through the galaxy, allowing definitive confirmation that such a signal arose from dark matter. Finally, I will briefly discuss future applications of such sensors to a variety of precision tests in nuclear and particle physics. | |
| Exoplanets and the Search for Signs of Life Beyond Earth | |
| Sara Seager, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |
| Event Type: Klosk Lecture | |
| Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | |
| Location: Silver Center Hemmerdinger Hall | |
| Abstract: For thousands of years, inspired by the star-filled dark night sky, people have wondered what lies beyond Earth. Today, the search for signs of life is a key factor in modern-day planetary exploration. Astronomers have found thousands of planets that orbit nearby stars, called “exoplanets”. The newly launched James Webb Space telescope will enable us to study gases in rocky exoplanet atmospheres, including gases that might be attributed to life. Professor Sara Seager will share the latest advances in this revolutionary field. RSVP REQUIRED: http://klosk.eventbrite.com/ | |