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Closing In on Thermal Relics with Indirect, Direct, and Collider Searches for Dark Matter

20–22 Jul 2026
CERN
Europe/Zurich timezone

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Contribution List

38 out of 38 displayed
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  1. 24. Opening
    Cari Cesarotti
    20/07/2026, 09:00
  2. 25. Electroweak Dark Matter: Multiplets, Masses, and Searches
    Dr Diego Redigolo (CERN-INFN Florence)
    20/07/2026, 09:30
    Theory
    Plenary
  3. 26. Indirect Detection of Thermal Electroweak Dark Matter
    Linda Xu (SLAC/Stanford)
    20/07/2026, 10:00
  4. 27. CTAO status
    Masahiro Teshima (Max Planck Institute for Physics)
    20/07/2026, 11:15
  5. 28. Indirect WIMP detection: a multiwavelength perspective
    Francesca Calore (Unite Reseaux du CNRS (FR))
    20/07/2026, 11:45
  6. 9. Flavour as a Guide to Thermal Dark Matter
    Xavier Ponce Diaz (University of Basel)
    20/07/2026, 13:45
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    The non-trivial flavour structure of t-channel dark matter models with fermion couplings is unavoidably constrained by flavour physics, hinting towards the presence of an underlying flavour symmetry.
    In this talk, I present a systematic study of the low-energy flavour constraints affecting these models from the perspective of flavour symmetries, together with complementary bounds from...

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  7. 12. Semi-analytic Inference of Dwarf Galaxy Densities and Implications for Dark Matter Searches
    Kailash Raman (University of California, Berkeley)
    20/07/2026, 13:54
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies are critical testing grounds for the particle nature of dark matter. In this talk, I will present Milky Way dwarf density profiles inferred using a semi-analytic satellite generator that captures the Cold Dark Matter (CDM) halo population. We match halos to dwarfs via two criteria: a kinematic selection (using enclosed mass at the half-light radius) and a...

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  8. 2. Neutron stars can shine a light on elusive lepton-flavor-violating dark matter
    Jaime Hoefken Zink
    20/07/2026, 14:03
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    We investigate a scenario in which dark matter (DM) poses a challenge to conventional direct and indirect detection, making it much more elusive than typical candidates. We focus on thermally produced DM that couples to electrons and muons via a lepton-flavor-violating (LFV) axion-like particle (ALP). Given the DM kinematics and lack of muon targets on Earth, direct detection would be...

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  9. 23. Indirect Detection: Extending MeV Dark Matter Bounds With COSI
    Ms Robin Anthony-Petersen (Space Sciences Laboratory,7GaussWay,University of California,Berkeley CA94720-7450, USA)
    20/07/2026, 14:12
    Experiment
    Flash Talks

    Have you heard of the MeV Gap in astronomy? It’s an energy range where our capability to detect photons is greatly limited due to high backgrounds and a low photon interaction cross-section dominated by Compton scattering. However, while technologically challenging, many sources can be studied in this energy range—potentially including dark matter. The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI)...

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  10. 21. Effective Field Theory Analyses of LZ Dark Matter Search Data
    Prof. Sergey Burdin (University of Liverpool (GB))
    20/07/2026, 14:21
    Experiment
    Flash Talks

    The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment employs a 7-tonne xenon time projection chamber operating 4,850 feet underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA, to search for dark matter interactions. While the flagship LZ analyses focus on low-energy nuclear recoils in searches for spin-independent interactions of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), extending...

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  11. 6. Set the Night on FIRE: Building an Empirical Local Dark Matter Velocity Distribution
    Xiuyuan Zhang
    20/07/2026, 14:30
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    The majority of terrestrial direct detection experiments for Dark Matter (DM) rely on the Standard Halo Model (SHM), which assumes the local DM velocity distribution follows a Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. However, galaxy mergers can deposit DM that remains kinematically clustered today, inducing deviations from the smooth SHM prediction. Previous studies have suggested that the local...

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  12. 29. Electroweak corrections to the freeze-out of Minimal Dark Matter
    Mateusz Duch (University of Pisa)
    20/07/2026, 14:39
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    We compute the one-loop electroweak corrections to coannihilation cross sections for fermionic Minimal Dark Matter multiplets. For the inclusive combination governing thermal freeze-out, real and virtual infrared singularities cancel in the s-wave limit. Nevertheless, sizable finite electroweak corrections remain. They increase with the size of the electroweak multiplet and reach the...

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  13. 14. TRIDENT's prospects for thermal relics
    Dr Andrew Cheek (TDLI, SJTU)
    20/07/2026, 14:48
    Experiment
    Flash Talks

    In this talk I will discuss the dark matter science case for the future TRIDENT neutrino telescope. We have recently performed a sensitivity study for galactic dark matter annihilations and found that TRIDENT will be able to reach the thermal relic target for dark matter for masses between 1-100 TeV. We contextualized this result in the wider search for dark matter by studying a specific dark...

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  14. 19. Lessons from Secluded Supersymmetric Dark WIMPs
    Bibhushan Shakya
    20/07/2026, 14:57
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    If the weak scale is an accidental occurrence in the Standard Model rather than a fundamental scale of nature, how does a generic WIMP candidate come to know about the weak scale? We explore a scenario where a secluded sector WIMP is connected to the SM via supersymmetry breaking at a high scale, and discuss how indirect detection, direct detection, and collider signals are affected by this UV...

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  15. 10. Dark Secrets of Baryons: Illuminating Dark Matter-Baryon Interactions with JWST
    Dr Ranjan Laha (Indian Institute of science (IN))
    20/07/2026, 15:06
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered numerous bright galaxies at high redshifts (z $\approx$ 10 -- 14). Many astrophysical models and beyond the Standard Model physics scenarios have been proposed to explain these observations. We investigate, for the first time, the implications of dark matter (DM) scattering with baryons (protons and electrons) in light of the JWST UV...

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  16. 32. Nonperturbative modifications of TeV WIMP annihilation
    Martin Beneke (Technische Universitaet Muenchen (DE))
    20/07/2026, 16:00
  17. 33. Minimal Baryogenesis induced Asymmetric Dark Matter
    Miguel Escudero Abenza (CERN)
    20/07/2026, 16:30
  18. 38. Enhancing the sensitivity of future indirect dark matter searches: a path towards thermal relics
    Daniel Kerszberg (LPNHE, CNRS/IN2P3)
    21/07/2026, 09:00
  19. 39. The Search for Thermal Relic Dark Matter with VERITAS and Dark100
    Elisa Pueschel
    21/07/2026, 09:30
  20. 43. Probing WIMP Dark Matter in the Galactic Center with CTAO-North LST-1 and LSTs
    Dr Shotaro Abe (ICRR, UTokyo)
    21/07/2026, 10:00
  21. 34. Rich Phenomenology from Composite WIMPs
    Graham Douglas Kribs (University of Oregon (US))
    21/07/2026, 11:15
  22. 35. Detecting Higgsinos on Earth
    Harikrishnan Ramani
    21/07/2026, 11:45
    Theory
    Plenary
  23. 18. Dark Particles and Bright Bursts: Future Stories from the Gamma-Ray Sky with GALAXIS
    Orion Ning (University of California, Berkeley)
    21/07/2026, 14:00
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    The MeV gamma-ray sky remains the least explored window in the astrophysical electromagnetic spectrum, with no current or approved mission providing continuous all-sky coverage and precise source localization in this band. I will discuss GALAXIS, an idea that developed into a full-scale collaboration to design, build, and launch a telescope designed to fill this gap. Originally motivated by...

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  24. 22. Cosmic-Ray Signatures of Annihilating and Semi-Annihilating Dark Matter via One-Step Cascades
    Tommaso Sassi (Università di Padova, INFN Padova)
    21/07/2026, 14:09
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    In this talk I will present a framework in which three classes of dark matter (DM) number-changing processes can affect both the relic abundance via thermal freeze-out and the generation of indirect cosmic-ray (CR) signals today. Namely, I will consider: direct annihilations into Standard Model final states; annihilations into metastable on-shell mediators that later decay into Standard Model...

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  25. 11. Theoretical Predictions for the Inner Dark Matter Distribution in the Milky Way Informed by Simulations
    Abd El Aziz Hussein (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
    21/07/2026, 14:18
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    Understanding the distribution of dark matter (DM) within a few kpc of the Milky Way’s center is critical for interpreting and projecting indirect detection signals. Some studies use the inner DM profile directly from hydrodynamic cosmological simulations; however, differences in baryonic physics prescriptions can significantly affect the resulting DM profiles. In this talk, I will quantify...

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  26. 31. Linking Leptogenesis and Asymmetric Dark Matter
    Henry McKenna (University of Liverpool)
    21/07/2026, 14:27
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    We investigate a minimal extension of the Leptogenesis framework that simultaneously explains the observed baryon asymmetry and dark matter (DM) abundance through the decay of a heavy Majorana neutrino. In this scenario, CP violation arises from complex Yukawa couplings, enabling the generation of asymmetries in both the Standard Model (SM) and DM sectors. We focus on a co-genesis regime with...

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  27. 30. Results from the LZ Direct detection experiment
    Knut Moraa
    21/07/2026, 14:36
    Experiment
    Flash Talks

    LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is the world’s most sensitive direct detection experiment to weak-scale dark matter-matter interactions. The two-phase time projection chamber has an active mass of seven tonnes of liquid xenon, and is located at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) with a 4300 meter water-equivalent overburden. It is the largest such detector currently operating, and has published...

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  28. 20. Direct detection with archaeological Pb
    Nahuel Ferreiro Iachellini (University of Milano-Bicocca)
    21/07/2026, 14:45
    Experiment
    Flash Talks

    The quest to understand dark matter (DM) continues to be a driving force in astrophysics and particle physics. This talk discusses the potential of the RES-NOVA project, envisioned for detecting astrophysical neutrinos via Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEvNS), to also serve as a DM observatory. Leveraging the array of cryogenic detectors made from archaeological Pb, known for...

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  29. 7. Recent Dark Matter Search Results from XENONnT
    Shengchao Li (Westlake University)
    21/07/2026, 14:54
    1
    Experiment
    Flash Talks

    XENONnT is a major underground liquid-xenon experiment designed to search for rare interactions from dark matter. In this talk, I will present recent dark matter search results from XENONnT, with emphasis on the search for WIMP interactions and the extension of sensitivity toward lower dark matter masses. I will also discuss the main experimental advances that support these searches, including...

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  30. 3. Dark Matter in Composite Higgs
    Andrea Di Lecce
    21/07/2026, 15:03
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    The Hierarchy problem and the WIMP miracle both point toward new physics at the TeV scale. In this talk, we explore a scenario where these two puzzles share a common origin within a Composite Higgs framework. For simplicity we use the minimal Composite Higgs SO(5)/SO(4) and assume that the Dark Matter is the next-to-lightest composite resonance of this sector. As such, its mass is tied to the...

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  31. 5. Cornered But Alive: GeV-scale Thermal Dark Matter From Dark Photons
    David Alonso-González (IFT (UAM-CSIC))
    21/07/2026, 15:12
    Theory
    Flash Talks

    GeV-scale thermal dark matter is often considered to be strongly constrained by the null results of direct, indirect, and collider searches. Nevertheless, viable scenarios can still arise in well-motivated dark sector frameworks. In this talk, we explore this possibility in a dark Abelian Higgs model with a Dirac fermion dark matter candidate interacting with the Standard Model through a dark...

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  32. 45. The 20 GeV gamma-ray excess is not from dark matter
    Joshua Foster (University of Wisconsin)
    21/07/2026, 15:21

    The title says it all

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  33. 40. Theory and Machine Learning for Indirect Detection of Dark Matter
    Lina Necib (MIT)
    21/07/2026, 16:15
  34. 36. WIMPs at (Future) Colliders
    Roberto Franceschini (Rome 3 U.)
    21/07/2026, 16:45
  35. 37. GAPS: A New Era of Cosmic Antinuclei Measurements
    Kerstin Perez
    22/07/2026, 09:00
  36. 41. Searching for dark matter with LHAASO
    Prof. Kenny Ng (Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
    22/07/2026, 09:30
  37. 42. Thermal relics and the Galactic Centre Excess: From the current status to the CTAO era
    Christopher Eckner (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC))
    22/07/2026, 10:30
    Experiment
    Plenary
  38. 44. Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) – A New Era in Ground-Based Gamma-Ray Astronomy and Indirect Dark Matter Searches
    Ivana Batkovic (CTAO)
    22/07/2026, 11:00