Physics (Internal)

New Directions in Light Dark Matter Detection

This event is part of the HET Seminar Series.

The exploration of dark matter beyond the WIMP is of vital importance towards resolving the identity of dark matter. One promising possibility is light dark matter, which has gained much traction in recent years. In this context, I will present two new proposals for direct detection of light dark matter. The first utilizes superconducting targets which are sensitive to milli-eV energy deposits from dark matter-electron interactions. Such devices could detect dark matter as light as the warm dark matter limit of a keV with moderate size exposure. In the second, two-dimensional targets such as graphene are proposed as the first directional detectors of sub-GeV dark matter--a proposal which can be implemented by the PTOLEMY experiment. Considering dark matter scattering and absorption processes, I will demonstrate the potential of the light dark matter direct detection program in upcoming years.