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Monday, May 01, 2023
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Online and In-Person Event

High Energy Physics Seminar

Evaporation Barrier for Dark Matter in Celestial Bodies
Javier F. Acevedo, Stanford University,

Celestial bodies act as large dark matter (DM) detectors through gravitational capture, allowing for a variety of searches that complement direct detection efforts. However, there is a minimum testable DM mass for almost all DM signatures in celestial bodies that is determined by the rate at which DM evaporates. DM evaporation has previously been calculated assuming a competition between the gravitational potential of the object, and thermal kicks from the celestial-body matter. In this talk, I will point out a new effect, where mediators with a range larger than the interparticle spacing induce a force proportional to the density gradient of celestial objects, forming an evaporation barrier for the DM. This effect can be so significant that evaporation does not occur even for sub-MeV DM, in stark contrast to previous calculations. I will discuss how this opens up new light DM searches in celestial bodies, many orders of magnitude in DM mass below the sensitivity of direct detection.

Contact [email protected] for Zoom link