Events

Description: Weekly string theory journal club with paper discussion and talk by a group member. Papers can be posted here.

Talk: Jackson Fliss: Aspects of Entanglement in Chern-Simons Theory

Title: Spectral Features in Galactic Cosmic Rays

Abstract: Recent results by space-borne experiments took cosmic ray data to a precision level. These new results are able to challenge the conventional scenario for cosmic ray acceleration and propagation in the Milky Way. In this talk, we will give an overview of the latest results of the cosmic ray fluxes and some possible interpretations will be discussed. These measurements have a common feature, namely the presence of unexpected and still not yet fully understood spectral features.

Title: Searching for Light Particles in Strong Gravity Environments

Abstract: With no discovery of WIMPs to date, attention is turning towards lighter mass (sub eV) candidates for dark matter such as the axion. I will describe work to look for signatures from such light particles in strong gravity environments. In particular, I will explore the idea that they may clump to form relativistic "stars" which can collide with other astrophysical objects such as black holes and neutron stars. I will also discuss the distinctive density patterns that can form by their accretion onto black holes and how their presence as an additional cooling channel may leave an imprint on neutron star mergers.