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

Add to Calendar 2026-03-16T16:00:00 2026-03-16T17:00:00 A Galactic Exoplanet Census with the Roman Space Telescope Event Information:   Abstract: NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, with a planned launch in late 2026, will open up unprecedented discovery space in the infrared universe. Combining Hubble-like sensitivity and resolution with a field of view 100 times larger and a sky-mapping speed 1,000 times faster, Roman will conduct panoramic, high-resolution surveys that will transform our understanding of dark energy, exoplanetary systems, galactic structure, the solar system, and star formation — all while producing an enormous data set that will be analyzed for decades to come. One of Roman’s Core Community Surveys is the Roman Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey (RGBTDS), an ambitious program that will monitor 1.7 square degrees toward the crowded Galactic center with unprecedented precision and cadence. Over 440 days across six observing seasons, Roman will repeatedly image the same stars every 12 minutes, enabling the detection of planetary systems by using microlensing to reveal thousands of cold planets and elusive free-floating worlds, and transits to discover tens of thousands of hot and warm planets, including Earth-sized and larger worlds orbiting their stars. Together, these observations will deliver the first comprehensive galactic census of exoplanets, spanning all major stellar populations and probing planets with radii or masses above ~2× Earth’s at all separations, from hot Jupiters to icy wanderers beyond the snow line. I will highlight Roman’s revolutionary capabilities, preview its expected scientific yield, and describe the efforts of the Roman Galactic Exoplanet Survey Project Infrastructure Team (RGES-PIT), which is developing the framework, tools, and strategies to maximize the scientific return from the RGBTDS.  Bio: A member of the faculty since 2006, Prof. Gaudi is a leader in the discovery and statistical characterization of extrasolar planets using a variety of methods, including transits and gravitational microlensing. In 2008, he and his collaborators announced the discovery of the first Jupiter/Saturn analog. Prof Gaudi is deeply immersed in analytic and numerical techniques for assessing the yield, biases, and discovery potential of current and next-generation surveys to determine the demographics of exoplanets. More broadly, his interests revolve around the information content of large datasets. Prof. Gaudi is a member of the Science Definition Team for NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), and is the chair-elect for the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Analysis Group. Widely recognized within the community for his work, Prof. Gaudi was the 2009 recipient of the Helen B. Warner Prize of the American Astronomical Society, received NSF CAREER and PECASE awards, was named a University Distinguished Scholar in 2016, and in 2017 he was awarded the NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medal in recognition of his "outstanding leadership as the ExoPlanet Program Analysis Group Chairperson having significant impact on NASA's search for exoplanets and life in the universe." Learn More: View his webpage from Ohio State here: https://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/gaudi.1/index.html About the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Grace_Roman_Space_Telescope About the Roman Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey (RGBTDS): https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/galactic-bulge-time-domain-survey/ About Prof. Gaudi's areas of expertise: Extrasolar planets: https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/ About Starlight suppression technology: https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/programs/exep/technology/starshade/ About Astrobiology: https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/  Event Location: HENN 318

Add to Calendar 2026-03-23T16:00:00 2026-03-26T17:00:00 ASTRO Colloquium with Alex Pope Event Information: This page will be updated with the speaker's information, presentation abstract and resource links, soon! Event Location: HENN 318