Research
Dark Matter
In the first moments after the Big Bang, the universe was hot, dense, and teeming with particle interactions. We study how dark matter might have emerged from this thermal bath, either through freeze-out, where it was once in equilibrium and then decoupled as the universe expanded, or through freeze-in, where it was never in equilibrium but gradually produced via feeble interactions.
These mechanisms offer a window into physics beyond the Standard Model and connect the cosmic evolution of dark matter to laboratory experiments.
Relic density of Majorana dark matter interacting with leptoquarks. Magenta vertical lines serve as orientation to display the largest dark matter mass compatible with the observed energy density as obtained with a free cross section and with near-threshold effects respectively.
Effective field theories and finite-temperature field theory
When studying high-energy processes in the thermal plasma of the early universe, we often deal with a system characterized by multiple energy scales. Therefore, we rely on effective field theories (EFTs) to capture the relevant physics at each scale. At finite temperature, this approach allows us to describe particle interactions in a thermal environment in a systematic way. By combining EFT techniques with thermal field theory, we can make precise predictions about cosmological relics, phase transitions, and the evolution of the early universe—all while staying grounded in quantum field theory.
Hierarchy of energy scales and effective field theories for abelian DM models.
Phase transitions in the early universe
Many theories beyond the Standard Model (BSM) predict that the early universe underwent strong first-order phase transitions, reshaping the vacuum structure of the Standard Model and its smooth crossover. These transitions are central to mechanisms like electroweak baryogenesis, which seeks to explain the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry. Moreover, they can generate a stochastic background of gravitational waves, which are potentially observable with future detectors.
Region of a first-order phase transition in an extension of the Standard Model featuring an electroweak scalar (green). Modifications due to a fermionic dark-matter candidate are also shown.
Bachelor and Master Thesis
If you are curious of any of the topics above, please contact me for more information. Below you find examples of possible topics to be explored together
- “Dark matter freeze-out versus freeze-in” (Bachelor)
- “Dark matter at future colliders” (Bachelor or Master)
- “Exploring dark sectors with low-scale phase transitions in the early universe” (Master)
- “Standard Model Effective Theory meets Dark matter” (Master)