Tien-Tien Yu

Title: Astrophysical Uncertainties in Dark Matter-Electron Scattering and How to Elude Them

Abstract: In this talk, I will discuss how dark matter-electron scattering calculations depend on the underlying astrophysical model of the dark matter halo velocity distribution. I will give a brief review of the main astrophysical halo models and the measurements of their associated parameters. The predictions for dark matter-electron scattering calculations are highly sensitive to the specific choice of halo model and parameters, which in turn affects our interpretation of experimental results. In light of this, I will introduce work from an ongoing effort to interpret and present dark matter-electron scattering experimental results in a manner that is agnostic about the underlying astrophysical halo model. 

Bio: Tien-Tien Yu is an Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR. Prior to arriving at UO in 2018, she was a fellow in the CERN Theory Group in Geneva, Switzerland and a postdoctoral associate at the CN Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics at Stony Brook University. She received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI. In 2020, she received an NSF CAREER award towards her study of dark matter, and in 2021 was co-awarded the New Horizons Breakthrough Prize for her work on sub-GeV dark matter detection. In 2023, she was selected to serve on the Particle Physics Prioritization Panel (P5), which is a scientific advisory panel tasked with creating a roadmap for the future of particle physics in the USA.