Speaker
Description
Zoom meeting: https://cern.zoom.us/j/7930190483 (password: see email)
Format: 40 minutes talk + 20 min discussion
Virtual Axion Institute: The discussion on this talk can be continued in David's virtual guest office.
https://mattermost.web.cern.ch/axions/channels/david-j-e-marsh
Abstract: If the Peccei-Quinn symmetry is broken after inflation, then the preferred axion mass required for the DM relic density is of order 1 meV. In this scenario, "axion miniclusters” form in the early Universe, and have potentially observable effects in microlensing. I will describe a new method to compute the mass function and radial distribution function of miniclusters based on the excursion set. The meV axion is particularly challenging for direct detection. I will outline progress on the “TOORAD” proposal to detect meV axions with topological insulators.
