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Dark Matter

Dark Matter

Matter can be detected by its gravitational pull. Many different observations together indicate that about 84% of the gravitating matter in the universe emits no detectable photons. This is the dark matter, and the quest to understand what it is drives the work of large communities in cosmology and particle physics. Experiments like the Large Underground Xenon experiment, LUX, are designed to search for possible interactions between dark matter particles and the particles of the Standard Model. Surveys like the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time, LSST, will carefully map out the distribution of dark matter, probing for signs that some particle physics interactions was at work along with gravity and affected the evolution of structure. Gravitational wave observations may also reveal something about the nature of dark matter if, for example, the population of detected black holes is inconsistent with the expected astrophysical population.

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IGC members directory
Photo Name Role Affiliations Email Phone Office Centers Research topics
Shomik Adhicary Shomik Adhicary Graduate Student Physics sva5823@psu.edu +1 814 865 7533 334 Whitmore Laboratory IGC Black Holes, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves, Multimessenger Astrophysics
Tyler Anderson Tyler Anderson Faculty Physics tba109@psu.edu +1 814 865 2013 212A Osmond Laboratory CMA Cosmic Rays, Dark Matter, Multimessenger Astrophysics, Neutrinos
Srinikitha Bhagvati Srinikitha Bhagvati Graduate Student Physics skb6413@psu.edu 108 Osmond Laboratory CMA Dark Matter
Joshua Black Joshua Black Graduate Student Physics jib38@psu.edu +1 814 865 7533 301D Whitmore Laboratory CTOC Black Holes, Dark Matter
John Blakely John Blakely Undergraduate Student Astronomy, Physics jpb6799@psu.edu +1 814 865 0410 Osmond Laboratory CTOC, IGC Black Holes, Dark Matter
Carlos Blanco Carlos Blanco Faculty ICDS, Physics carlosblanco@psu.edu +1 814 865 7533 303K Osmond Laboratory CFT, CMA, CTOC, IGC Cosmic Rays, Dark Matter, Multimessenger Astrophysics, Neutrinos
Carmen Carmona Benitez Carmen Carmona Benitez Faculty Physics mzc267@psu.edu +1 814 865 6476 320D Osmond Laboratory CMA Dark Matter, Neutrinos
Jose Carpio Dumler Jose Carpio Dumler Graduate Student Physics jac866@psu.edu +1 814 865 7533 CMA Dark Matter, Multimessenger Astrophysics, Neutrinos
Yen-Ting Chin Yen-Ting Chin Graduate Student Physics ypc5402@psu.edu 18144248968 Osmond Laboratory CMA Dark Matter
Abhishek Das Abhishek Das Graduate Student Astronomy, ICDS, Physics ajd6518@psu.edu 321E Thomas Building CMA, IGC Black Holes, Cosmic Rays, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves, Multimessenger Astrophysics, Neutrinos, Quasars
Jeysen Flores-Velázquez Jeysen Flores-Velázquez Graduate Student Astronomy, Physics jrf6037@psu.edu +1 3235526297 118 Osmond Laboratory IGC Black Holes, Dark Matter
Jack Genovesi Jack Genovesi Postdoc Physics jgg27@psu.edu 8455197418 320A Osmond Laboratory IGC Dark Matter
Chad Hanna Chad Hanna Faculty Astronomy, ICDS, Physics crh184@psu.edu +1 814 865 2924 303 Whitmore Laboratory CMA Black Holes, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves, Multimessenger Astrophysics
Rodney Jones Rodney Jones Undergraduate Student Astronomy rjj5488@psu.edu 9412878113 N/A CTOC Dark Matter
James Kennington James Kennington Graduate Student Physics jwkennington@psu.edu +1 814 865 7533 Box 66 Whitmore Laboratory CFT Black Holes, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves, Mathematical Structures
Ali Kheirandish Ali Kheirandish Graduate Student Physics abk5717@psu.edu +1 814 865 7533 Davey Laboratory CMA Dark Matter, Multimessenger Astrophysics, Neutrinos
Benjamin Lillard Benjamin Lillard Postdoc Physics blillard@psu.edu N/A 206B Osmond Laboratory IGC Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves, Physical Mathematics
Samuel Adam Isaac Mognet Samuel Adam Isaac Mognet Faculty Physics sam378@psu.edu +1 814 865 6107 206E Osmond Laboratory CMA Cosmic Rays, Dark Matter
Kohta Murase Kohta Murase Faculty Astronomy, Physics kum26@psu.edu +1 814 863 9594 321B Osmond Laboratory CMA Cosmic Rays, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves, Multimessenger Astrophysics, Neutrinos
Victoria Niu Victoria Niu Graduate Student Physics wmn5062@psu.edu +1 814 865 7533 334 Whitmore Laboratory IGC Black Holes, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves, Multimessenger Astrophysics
Shiksha Pandey Shiksha Pandey Graduate Student Physics spp5950@psu.edu 312 Whitmore Laboratory IGC Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves
B.S.  Sathyaprakash B.S. Sathyaprakash Faculty Astronomy, Physics bss25@psu.edu 312 Whitmore Laboratory CMA, CTOC Black Holes, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves, Multimessenger Astrophysics
Sarah Shandera Sarah Shandera Faculty Physics ses47@psu.edu +1 814 863 9595 303A Whitmore Laboratory CFT Black Holes, Cosmic Surveys, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves, Quantum Universe
Katherine Wild Katherine Wild Graduate Student Physics kvw5673@psu.edu (954) 225-1854 108 Osmond Laboratory IGC Dark Matter
Wei Zha Wei Zha Graduate Student Physics wpz5141@psu.edu 114 Whitmore Laboratory IGC Dark Matter
Luiz de Viveiros Luiz de Viveiros Faculty Physics lad57@psu.edu +1 814 865 7533 320E Osmond Laboratory CMA Dark Matter, Neutrinos
IGC members directory
Photo Name Role Affiliations Email Phone Office Centers Research topics
James Gurian James Gurian Faculty Astronomy jhg5248@psu.edu 440 Whitmore Laboratory IGC Black Holes, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves
Daniel Kodroff Daniel Kodroff Graduate Student Physics dsk192@psu.edu 0000000000 Basement Osmond Laboratory CMA Dark Matter, Neutrinos
Daniel LaRocca Daniel LaRocca Faculty Astronomy dml6156@psu.edu CMA Dark Matter, Dynamic Universe
Jackson MacTaggart Jackson MacTaggart Faculty Astronomy jrm6756@psu.edu Whitmore Laboratory IGC Dark Matter
Ryan Magee Ryan Magee Graduate Student Physics rzm50@psu.edu CMA Black Holes, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves, Multimessenger Astrophysics
Phoebe McClincy Phoebe McClincy Graduate Student Astronomy pkm5220@psu.edu CMA Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves
Michael Ryan Michael Ryan Graduate Student Physics mzr55@psu.edu 301C Whitmore Laboratory CTOC Black Holes, Dark Matter
Sarah Schon Sarah Schon Faculty Physics sqs7027@psu.edu 314 Whitmore Laboratory IGC Dark Matter
Divya Singh Divya Singh Faculty Physics dus960@psu.edu 301 Whitmore Laboratory IGC Black Holes, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves

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About our wordmark
Monica Rincon Ramirez

The IGC wordmark was created by Monica Rincon Ramirez while she was a graduate student at the Institute. Monica enjoys drawing new connections between fundamental theory and observations. Her graduate work included general relativity, loop quantum gravity, and quantum fields in cosmological backgrounds; her thesis focused on effective quantum corrections to gravitational phenomena from spinfoams and applications to cosmology. She received her PhD in 2024.

The wordmark symbolizes the scope of research at the IGC. The base represents quantum gravity, evoking the quantum geometrical picture from spinfoams and loop quantum gravity — approaches studied at the Center for Fundamental Theory. The middle shows galaxies embedded in a smooth surface characteristic of spacetime in general relativity and the larger physical scales studied at the Center for Theoretical and Observational Cosmology. The top curves to an extreme representing a supermassive black hole accompanied by an energetic jet, with a binary black hole pair nearby — the high-energy phenomena studied at the Center for Multimessenger Astrophysics.