RII Track-4: Statistically Significant Signatures of Dark Matter from Astrophysical Observations (WoU-MMA)

暗物质构成了宇宙中85%的物质。了解这种未知物质的性质为人类和理解宇宙的许多重要进展奠定了基础。暗物质大量聚集在具有强大引力场的物体周围，即黑洞和非常大质量的恒星。引力波和射电天文学的最新进展使人们得以史无前例地瞥见黑洞和超大质量恒星。拟议的项目计算了黑洞和超大质量恒星周围环境中暗物质、引力波和电磁波之间的相互作用。这些计算与最先进的数值模拟相结合，旨在提供各种暗物质的特征信号。PI和一名受训人员将前往联合实验室天体物理研究所(JILA)实施这些数值模拟。由此产生的工作成果试图将黑洞和非常大质量的恒星转变为暗物质探测器。这项工作的更广泛影响包括让当地高中生和更大的新汉普郡-佛蒙特州社区了解暗物质(粒子物理)研究的发展。此外，非政府组织还将促进将代表性不足的群体纳入STEM领域，例如，通过在历史悠久的黑人学院和大学(HBCU)授课。最后，获得该奖项支持的学员将接触到先进的广义相对论、量子场论和数值技术，这些技术用于模拟黑洞和致密恒星周围的环境。暗物质显著聚集在具有大引力场的物体周围，如黑洞和致密恒星。在这个项目中，PI考虑了来自这些致密天体的玻色子(轴子)暗物质的电磁和引力波特征。利用有效场论技术，PI包括了最重要的相互作用，以便正确地理解这种暗物质的演化。大引力场引入了一个新的尺度，Schwarzschild半径，它将暗物质的振荡改变为引力波和电磁波。这种效应类似于中微子的Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein效应。这些变化既影响超辐射增强过程，也影响非超辐射增强过程。PI和一名受训人员将前往联合实验室天体物理研究所(JILA)，用经过良好审查的天体物理背景数值模拟来审查新的、独特的暗物质特征，以确定它们在产生具有统计意义的暗物质探测器方面的效率。通过利用多波长天文学、超长基线干涉测量(如事件视界望远镜)以及引力波天文学当前(和近期)的能力，该奖学金的目标是产生可行的搜索策略，以确定参数空间中玻色(轴子)暗物质的区域。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Dark matter composes 85% of the matter in the universe. Understanding the properties of this unknown matter sets the stage for many important advances for humankind as well as understanding the universe. Dark matter gathers significantly around objects with strong gravitational fields, i.e. black holes and very massive stars. Recent advances in gravitational wave and radio astronomy have allowed unprecedented glimpses into black holes and very massive stars. The proposed project computes the interactions between dark matter, gravitational and electromagnetic waves in the environment surrounding black holes and very massive stars. These calculations, combined with state-of-the-art numerical simulations, are designed to provide a variety of telltale signatures of dark matter. The PI and a trainee will travel to the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) to implement these numerical simulations. The resulting work product seeks to turn black holes and very massive stars into dark matter detectors. Broader impacts of this work include engaging local high-school students and the greater New Hampshire-Vermont community to understand developments in dark matter (particle physics) research. In addition, the PI will also promote the inclusion of underrepresented groups in STEM fields, e.g., through giving lectures at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Finally, the trainee supported by this award will be exposed to advanced general relativity, quantum field theory, and numerical techniques used to simulate the environments surrounding black holes and compact stars.Dark matter congregates significantly around objects with large gravitational fields such as black holes and compact stars. For this project, the PI considers electromagnetic and gravitational wave signatures of bosonic (axion) dark matter from these compact objects. Using effective field theory techniques, the PI includes the most important interactions in order to properly understand the evolution of this dark matter. The large gravitational fields introduce a new scale, the Schwarzschild radius, which alters the dark matter oscillations into gravitational and electromagnetic waves. This effect is analogous to the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effect for neutrinos. These alterations affect both superradiant and non-superradiant enhanced processes. The PI and a trainee will travel to the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) to vet the new, unique dark matter signatures with well-vetted numerical simulations of the astrophysical backgrounds in order to determine their efficacy in producing statistically significant probes of dark matter. By leveraging multi-wavelength astronomy, very-long-baseline interferometry (such as the Event Horizon Telescope) as well as the current (and near future) capabilities of gravitational wave astronomy, the fellowship goal is to generate viable search strategies to identify regions of parameter space for bosonic (axion) dark matter.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.