Tuning in to axion dark matter: how we search for an “invisible” particle

Event Date:
2026-02-09T16:00:00
2026-02-09T17:00:00
Event Location:
HENN 318
Speaker:
Chiara P. Salemi, UC Berkeley
Related Upcoming Events:
Astronomy Colloquia
Intended Audience:
Public
Local Contact:

Allison Man (aman@phas.ubc.ca) and Brett Gladman (gladman@astro.ubc.ca)

All are welcome to this event!

Event Information:

 

Abstract:

Axions are one of the most compelling answers to the question of what makes up the majority of the matter in the universe—the dark matter.  Detecting axion dark matter is a challenge, due to the particle’s tiny coupling to visible matter and its very low, unknown mass.  Several experimental methods have been developed to overcome these challenges, relying on enhancing the axions’ conversion to photons using strong magnetic fields and detecting the resulting signals with superconducting quantum sensors.  Here I will discuss the work we are doing at Berkeley, developing new technologies to enable future, large-scale detectors as well as building intermediate-scale experiments with unprecedented sensitivity.

Bio:

Chiara Salemi is an experimental physicist whose research centers on the search for axion dark matter. Her work involves developing advanced detectors and data analysis methods for experiments small and large that probe some of the biggest mysteries of our universe. She uses and develops a variety of technologies as a part of her research, from superconducting qubits to high-field magnets. She is best known for her pioneering contributions to laboratory searches for low-mass axion dark matter as well as the development of new quantum sensors. Salemi’s research advances understanding of the building blocks of matter and forces of nature.
She is a professor in the Department of Physics at UC Berkeley and a faculty scientist in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Physics Division.

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Resources:

 

Add to Calendar 2026-02-09T16:00:00 2026-02-09T17:00:00 Tuning in to axion dark matter: how we search for an “invisible” particle Event Information:   Abstract: Axions are one of the most compelling answers to the question of what makes up the majority of the matter in the universe—the dark matter.  Detecting axion dark matter is a challenge, due to the particle’s tiny coupling to visible matter and its very low, unknown mass.  Several experimental methods have been developed to overcome these challenges, relying on enhancing the axions’ conversion to photons using strong magnetic fields and detecting the resulting signals with superconducting quantum sensors.  Here I will discuss the work we are doing at Berkeley, developing new technologies to enable future, large-scale detectors as well as building intermediate-scale experiments with unprecedented sensitivity. Bio: Chiara Salemi is an experimental physicist whose research centers on the search for axion dark matter. Her work involves developing advanced detectors and data analysis methods for experiments small and large that probe some of the biggest mysteries of our universe. She uses and develops a variety of technologies as a part of her research, from superconducting qubits to high-field magnets. She is best known for her pioneering contributions to laboratory searches for low-mass axion dark matter as well as the development of new quantum sensors. Salemi’s research advances understanding of the building blocks of matter and forces of nature.She is a professor in the Department of Physics at UC Berkeley and a faculty scientist in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Physics Division. Learn More: About Chiara from her UC Berkeley faculty page: https://physics.berkeley.edu/people/chiara-salemi About the "Salemi Group" and their work on Axion Dark Matter Detection: https://physics.berkeley.edu/research-faculty/salemi-group  Resources: Listen to the Berkeley Lab podcast, it's Elemental, with Chiara Salemi and Nick Rodd on their search for Axions: https://physicalsciences.lbl.gov/2025/10/30/the-search-for-dark-matter/ See her lecture on Youtube: "Experiment wave Dark Matter": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiGtvxGS78I and with the HEPEC Seminar from 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0uFUngTrxw    Event Location: HENN 318