Primordial black holes (PBHs) can form as a result of primordial scalar perturbations at small scales. This PBH formation scenario has associated gravitational wave (GW) signatures from second-order GWs induced by the primordial curvature perturbatio
n, and from GWs produced during an early PBH dominated era. We investigate the ability of next generation GW experiments, including BBO, LISA, and CE, to probe this PBH formation scenario in a wide mass range (10 - 1e27 g). Measuring the stochastic GW background with GW observatories can constrain the allowed parameter space of PBHs including a previously unconstrained region where light PBHs (< 1e9 g) temporarily dominate the energy density of the universe before evaporating. We also show how PBH formation impacts the reach of GW observatories to the primordial power spectrum and provide constraints implied by existing PBH bounds.
Identifying the nature of dark matter (DM) has long been a pressing question for particle physics. In the face of ever-more-powerful exclusions and null results from large-exposure searches for TeV-scale DM interacting with nuclei, a significant amou
nt of attention has shifted to lighter (sub-GeV) DM candidates. Direct detection of the light dark matter in our galaxy by observing DM scattering off a target system requires new approaches compared to prior searches. Lighter DM particles have less available kinetic energy, and achieving a kinematic match between DM and the target mandates the proper treatment of collective excitations in condensed matter systems, such as charged quasiparticles or phonons. In this context, the condensed matter physics of the target material is crucial, necessitating an interdisciplinary approach. In this review, we provide a self-contained introduction to direct detection of keV-GeV DM with condensed matter systems. We give a brief survey of dark matter models and basics of condensed matter, while the bulk of the review deals with the theoretical treatment of DM-nucleon and DM-electron interactions. We also review recent experimental developments in detector technology, and conclude with an outlook for the field of sub-GeV DM detection over the next decade.
Being an antiferromagnetic topological insulator (AFM-TI), MnBi2Te4 offers an ideal platform to study the interplay between magnetism and topological order. We combine both transport and scanning microwave impedance microscopy (sMIM) to examine such
interplay in atomically thin MnBi2Te4 with even-layer thickness. Transport measurement shows a quantized Hall resistivity under a magnetic field above 6 T signaling a Chern insulator phase, and a zero Hall plateau at low fields consistent with axion insulator phase. With sMIM, we directly visualize a magnetic-field-driven insulator-to-metal (IMT) transition of the bulk resulting from a quantum phase transition from a Chern insulator to axion insulator phase. Strikingly, sMIM reveals a persistent edge state across the transition. The observed edge state at low fields, in particular at zero field, calls for careful considerations for the topological nature of its bulk state. We discuss the possibility of having edge states in the context of axion insulator and beyond such a context. Our finding signifies the richness of topological phases in MnB2Te4 that has yet to be fully explored.
Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are envisioned to be a disruptive wireless communication technique that is capable of reconfiguring the wireless propagation environment. In this paper, we study a far-field RIS-assisted multiple-input singl
e-output (MISO) communication system operating in free space. To maximize the received power of the receiver from the physics and electromagnetic nature point of view, an optimization, including beamforming of the transmitter, phase shifts of the RIS, orientation and position of the RIS is formulated and solved. After exploiting the property of line-of-sight (LoS), we derive closed-form solutions of beamforming and phase shifts. For the non-trivial RIS position optimization problem in arbitrary three-dimensional space, a dimensional-reducing theory is proved. The simulation results show that the proposed closed-form beamforming and phase shifts are near-optimal solutions. Besides, the RIS significantly enhances the performance of the communication system when it is deployed at the optimal position.
Since the mapping relationship between definitized intra-interventional 2D X-ray and undefined pre-interventional 3D Computed Tomography(CT) is uncertain, auxiliary positioning devices or body markers, such as medical implants, are commonly used to d
etermine this relationship. However, such approaches can not be widely used in clinical due to the complex realities. To determine the mapping relationship, and achieve a initializtion post estimation of human body without auxiliary equipment or markers, proposed method applies image segmentation and deep feature matching to directly match the 2D X-ray and 3D CT images. As a result, the well-trained network can directly predict the spatial correspondence between arbitrary 2D X-ray and 3D CT. The experimental results show that when combining our approach with the conventional approach, the achieved accuracy and speed can meet the basic clinical intervention needs, and it provides a new direction for intra-interventional registration.
We present a python package to calculate interaction rates of light dark matter in dielectric materials, including screening effects. The full response of the material is parametrized in the terms of the energy loss function (ELF) of material, which
darkELF converts into differential scattering rates for both direct dark matter electron scattering and through the Migdal effect. In addition, darkELF can calculate the rate to produce phonons from sub-MeV dark matter scattering via the dark photon mediator, as well as the absorption rate for dark matter comprised of dark photons. The package includes precomputed ELFs for Al, $mathrm{Al}_2mathrm{O}_3$, GaAs, GaN, Ge, Si, $mathrm{SiO}_2$, and ZnS, and allows the user to easily add their own ELF extractions for arbitrary materials.
Measuring the escape velocity of the Milky Way is critical in obtaining the mass of the Milky Way, understanding the dark matter velocity distribution, and building the dark matter density profile. In Necib $&$ Lin (2021), we introduced a strategy to
robustly measure the escape velocity. Our approach takes into account the presence of kinematic substructures by modeling the tail of the stellar distribution with multiple components, including the stellar halo and the debris flow called the Gaia Sausage (Enceladus). In doing so, we can test the robustness of the escape velocity measurement for different definitions of the tail of the velocity distribution, and the consistency of the data with different underlying models. In this paper, we apply this method to the second data release of Gaia and find that a model with at least two components is preferred. Based on a fit with three bound components to account for the disk, relaxed halo, and the Gaia Sausage, we find the escape velocity of the Milky Way at the solar position to be $v_{rm{esc}}= 484.6^{+17.8}_{-7.4}$ km/s. Assuming a Navarro-Frenck-White dark matter profile, and taken in conjunction with a recent measurement of the circular velocity at the solar position of $v_c = 230 pm 10$ km/s, we find a Milky Way concentration of $c_{200} = 13.8^{+6.0}_{-4.3}$ and a mass of $M_{200} = 7.0^{+1.9}_{-1.2} times 10^{11} M_{odot}$, which is considerably lighter than previous measurements.
The local escape velocity provides valuable inputs to the mass profile of the Galaxy, and requires understanding the tail of the stellar speed distribution. Following Leonard $&$ Tremaine (1990), various works have since modeled the tail of the stell
ar speed distribution as $propto (v_{rm{esc}} -v)^k$, where $v_{rm{esc}}$ is the escape velocity, and $k$ is the slope of the distribution. In such studies, however, these two parameters were found to be largely degenerate and often a narrow prior is imposed on $k$ in order to constrain $v_{rm{esc}}$. Furthermore, the validity of the power law form is likely to break down in the presence of multiple kinematic substructures. In this paper, we introduce a strategy that for the first time takes into account the presence of kinematic substructure. We model the tail of the velocity distribution as a sum of multiple power laws without imposing strong priors. Using mock data, we show the robustness of this method in the presence of kinematic structure that is similar to the recently-discovered Gaia Sausage. In a companion paper, we present the new measurement of the escape velocity and subsequently the mass of the Milky Way using Gaia DR2 data.
A number of direct detection experiments are searching for electron excitations created by scattering of sub-GeV dark matter. We present an alternate formulation of dark matter-electron scattering in terms of the dielectric response of a material. Fo
r dark matter which couples to electrons, this approach automatically accounts for in-medium screening effects, which were not included in previous rate calculations for semiconductor targets. We show that the screening effects appear for both scalar and vector mediators. The result is a non-negligible reduction of reach for direct detection experiments which use dielectric materials as targets. We also explore different determinations of the dielectric response, including first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations and a data-driven analytic approximation using a Mermin oscillator model.
A reliable census of of pre-main sequence stars with known ages is critical to our understanding of early stellar evolution, but historically there has been difficulty in separating such stars from the field. We present a trained neural network model
, Sagitta, that relies on Gaia DR2 and 2MASS photometry to identify pre-main sequence stars and to derive their age estimates. Our model successfully recovers populations and stellar properties associated with known star forming regions up to five kpc. Furthermore, it allows for a detailed look at the star-forming history of the solar neighborhood, particularly at age ranges to which we were not previously sensitive. In particular, we observe several bubbles in the distribution of stars, the most notable of which is a ring of stars associated with the Local Bubble, which may have common origins with the Goulds Belt.
