Dark Matter

My research is about forming a better understanding of our universe by studying the smallest building blocks of matter. Our current best model of the universe implies that the majority (more than 80%) of all matter is dark matter - a type of matter that is only 'visible' to us because of its gravitational effects. Although the first signs of its existence were discovered almost a century ago, we still don't know what this form of matter is made of. We only know that it is not composed of the same type of building blocks as normal matter. We call such building blocks (fundamental) particles, and as particle physicists we strive to identify all existing particles and how they interact with each other. My main research activity at the moment is to develop, in an international collaboration, a new experiment, called LDMX -- the Light Dark Matter eXperiment, which will create new opportunities to explore what the building blocks of dark matter might be. 

The Light Dark Matter eXperiment

LDMX is a planned fixed-target experiment using an 8 GeV electron beam from the accelerator of the LCLS-II lightsource at SLAC, California, to search for dark matter particles with masses roughly between that of an electron and that of a proton. When the beam electrons hit the thin (tungsten) target, dark matter particles might be produced in interactions with the nuclei in the target. The dark matter particles themselves are undetectable, but their production can be inferred from a precise measurement of the energy and momentum of the electron after it has passed through the target: If dark matter has been produced, this will manifest as a significant energy loss and change in momentum of the electron. We call this approach a fixed-target missing-momentum measurement and it is essentially unique to LDMX. It requires measuring each electron individually, which means that the number of electrons hitting the target simultaneously has to be limited to a few. 

More information on LDMX can be found here: 

LDMX homepage on confluence

Special report in Innovation News Network (Popular Science)

LDMX Design Study 2018

Contributed Snowmass Whitepaper 2022

Work within LDMX

My main focus within the LDMX collaboration are simulation studies of different detector performance aspects, background rejection capabilities and the sensitivity to dark matter signals. In this, we also explore the potential benefit of using different machine learning techniques, especially for cases where more than one electron hit the target at the same time. Moreover, we are starting to think ahead and develop data-driven methods to reduce our reliance on simulations and be ready when LDMX starts taking data in a few years. 

Current

I am (since 2022) course responsible for FYST62 - Modern Experimental Particle Physics 

Previous

I have taught in FYSC24 - Particle Physics, Cosmology and Accelerators  since 2022.

I have taught and been course responsible for the introductory mechanics course from 2018 - 2021. 

Here is a collection of some of my public engagements over the past years: 

• Lecture during NMT days 2024, "Universums mörka byggstenar", recording available on UR play
• Popular science article on Innovation News Network, "A new light in the dark: Prospects and status of the Light Dark Matter eXperiment"
• Lecture during NMT days 2024, "Universums mörka byggstenar"
• Guest in podcast The Meridian “The hunt for Dark Matter” (2023)
• Crafoord Science Lunch Lecture “Ljus i mörkret – ett nytt fönster till det mörka universum" (2020)
• Since 2021, I am also the co-organiser of the department of physics' presence at the yearly outreach event kulturnatten.

(Climate) sustainability of research

I am very interested in the question of (climate) sustainability in research and academia. What does climate-neutral research look like? How can we achieve this, and in a way that is fair also to young and future researchers? What are the conflicts of interest -- are they real or just perceived -- and how can they be resolved? Why do we have this large knowledge-action-gap in academia of all places? ...

I am part of several initiatives at different levels trying to address these question from varying angles.