Astroparticle Theory For Dark Sectors

暗区的天体粒子理论

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-06900
• 负责人: Bramante, Joseph
• 金额: $ 2.11万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=741482
• 关键词: Astroparticle; Theory; Dark; Sectors

Theoretical research that accelerates the discovery of new fundamental physics and dark matter has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the universe. I propose a research program to develop theoretical tools and new analyses leading to the discovery of dark matter and other novel fundamental physics. This will build on astroparticle experiments and astronomical observations already underway in Canada. The existence of dark matter has been established through its gravitational pull on stars and lensed starlight in galaxies. Its gravitational imprint has been extracted from miniscule fluctuations of photons produced in the early universe. The exact nature of dark matter remains a fundamental problem in modern physics. Many models predict that dark matter will have new, non-gravitational interactions with visible matter like electrons and protons, and methods to seek out dark matter are in high demand. Presently dark matter's interactions are sought deep underground by experiments sensitive to electrons and nuclei "bumped" by dark matter. While these experiments grow in scale and scope, additional means to seek out weakly interacting dark matter are called for, especially for dark matter beyond the reach of underground experiments. The focus of this research program will be to develop the theory and signatures of new dark matter models discoverable at existing underground dark matter experiments, along with new dark matter searches using telescope observations of neutron stars, gas clouds, and planets. Much of this work addresses dark matter at the "high mass frontier," more than a billion times heavier than a proton. As such, the cosmology of very heavy dark matter in the early universe, along with gravitational wave signatures of heavy dark sectors in the early universe will be determined. In addition, my dark sector research will extend to laboratory methods to find ultralight dark matter particles using highly coherent quantum preparations of excited atoms. The personnel trained over the course of this proposal, including two postdocs, four PhD students, six MSc students, and three undergraduates will be working at the frontier of dark matter detection in stars, gas clouds, atomic transitions, and signatures from the early universe. The technical skills they will obtain simulating, computing, and inventing astrophysical analyses and experimental methods will lead them to develop world class scientific acumen. They will be exposed to renowned theorists, techniques, and experimentalists to collaborate with, through lengthy stays at the Perimeter Institute and the eight astroparticle experimental faculty and their personnel at Queen's University. In addition, recently funded Canadian Fund for Innovation grants at Queen's include an astroparticle theory lab and astroparticle computing cluster, which will provide them with excellent computing power and rapid videoconferencing access to international collaborators.

加速发现新的基础物理学和暗物质的理论研究有可能彻底改变我们对宇宙的理解。我提出了一项研究计划，开发理论工具和新的分析方法，从而发现暗物质和其他新的基础物理学。这将建立在加拿大正在进行的天体粒子实验和天文观测的基础上。暗物质的存在是通过它对恒星的引力和星系中透镜状的星光来确定的。它的引力印记是从早期宇宙产生的光子的微小波动中提取出来的。暗物质的确切性质仍然是现代物理学中的一个基本问题。许多模型预测，暗物质将与电子和质子等可见物质发生新的非引力相互作用，寻找暗物质的方法需求量很大。目前，暗物质的相互作用是通过对被暗物质“撞击”的电子和原子核敏感的实验在地下深处寻找的。虽然这些实验的规模和范围都在扩大，但人们需要更多的方法来寻找弱相互作用的暗物质，尤其是那些无法进行地下实验的暗物质。这项研究计划的重点将是发展现有地下暗物质实验中发现的新暗物质模型的理论和特征，以及利用望远镜观测中子星、气体云和行星的新暗物质搜索。这项工作的大部分都是在“高质量边界”研究暗物质，它比质子重10亿多倍。这样，早期宇宙中非常重的暗物质的宇宙学，以及早期宇宙中重黑暗区域的引力波特征将被确定。此外，我的暗部门研究将扩展到实验室方法，使用高度相干的量子制备激发原子来寻找超轻暗物质粒子。在这一提议的过程中训练的人员，包括两名博士后，四名博士生，六名硕士研究生和三名本科生，将在恒星，气体云，原子跃迁和早期宇宙特征的暗物质探测前沿工作。他们将获得模拟、计算和发明天体物理分析和实验方法的技术技能，这些技能将使他们发展出世界一流的科学头脑。他们将接触到著名的理论家、技术和实验家，通过在圆周研究所和皇后大学的八个天体粒子实验教员及其工作人员的长期停留，与他们合作。此外，最近在女王大学获得的加拿大创新基金资助包括一个天体粒子理论实验室和天体粒子计算集群，这将为他们提供出色的计算能力和快速视频会议与国际合作者的联系。