Dark Matter and Effective Field Theories

The question about the nature of dark matter is central in modern physics.

Recently, increasing attention has been paid to the possibility of a dark matter with mass between the keV and the GeV, whose search requires novel detection techniques, and signatures involving low energy collective excitations.

I propose to apply the recently developed effective field theories for condensed matter to study the interaction between light dark matter and the collective excitations of the detector.

In particular, I propose to investigate possible two-dimensional detectors via two new signatures: the excitation of out-of-plane phonons and of electron density waves due to the interaction with dark matter.

The effective field theory approach to condensed matter has the advantage of being independent on the complicated details of the microscopic physics, and of being formulated in a quantum field theory language, a framework very familiar to particle physicists.

For these reasons, the present proposals has the potential of addressing a key question in modern physics, while bridging the gap between the high energy nature of the question about dark matter and the condensed matter issues related to its detectability.

If accepted, the program will be carried out at New York University (NYU) for the first two years, and at Sapienza University of Rome for the third one. These institutions are perfectly complementary for what concerns the successful implementation of the program.

NYU hosts world leading experts in dark matter model building and phenomenology, while Sapienza hosts a research program in the design and realization of detectors for light dark matter that is at the forefront the international research on the topic.

The interaction with the two research groups will allow me to develop a rather unique profile, providing me with all the necessary expertise to become a central figure in the light dark matter community and contribute to the advancement of the field.