The Particle Astrophysics research group deals primarily with a wide range of physics questions, both theory and experiment. In line with the general agenda of Astrocent, the main areas of research are:
– dark matter;
– gravitational waves.
To date, four postdoc researchers are working in this group under the guidance of Professor Leszek Roszkowski.
Dr Jaksa Osiński’s research has focused on nonstandard expansion histories in the period before big bang nucleosynthesis, and how these histories affect dark matter production. In particular, he is interested in searching for possible connections between current observables and the properties of the very early Universe in order to probe the conditions of the Universe at these early times.
The area of dr Manimala Chakraborti’s research work includes phenomenological aspects of physics beyond the standard model. More precisely, her works involve exploring low energy signatures of various BSM scenarios in the light of precision tests, collider studies and relic density as well as detection prospects of dark matter.
Dr Sebastian Trojanowski is a theoretical physicist specialized in (astro)particle physics and particle cosmology. He is studying possible intriguing connections between predicted heavy and light dark sectors of the Universe.
Dr Andrew Cheek is an astroparticle phenomenologist. He is interested in how theories of the fundamental forces and elements of our Universe implicate phenomena in astrophysical environments and Earth based experiments. So far, his research has focused mainly on the nature of dark matter.
On the 22nd of February, after the public talks by the two Nobel Laureates in Physics organized by AstroCeNT, a reception for the distinguished guests was held at the Embassy of Canada to Poland in Warsaw. The event was dedicated to the cooperation of our countries in the field of research on dark matter (the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration), gravitational waves (LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA collaboration) and neutrinos (Hyper-Kamiokande) and was attended by Polish and foreign diplomats, representatives of Polish educational and scientific institutions, Polish scientists and guests from abroad.
During the reception at the Canadian Embassy the importance of international cooperation in promoting scientific research and understanding of the Universe was emphasized. By bringing together experts from different countries and fields, the event provided a space to exchange ideas and forge new partnerships.a
On the 22-23th of February 2023 AstroCeNT team had the honor of hosting two Nobel laureates in physics, Prof. Arthur B. McDonald (Canada) and Prof. Barry C. Barish (USA). The reason for their visit to Poland was the World Copernican Congress, which officially opened in Toruń on the 19th of February 2023, on the 550th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus, an icon of Polish and world science.
On the occasion of the Nobel laureates’ visit, a large-scale event was organized by AstroCeNT. The public talks entitled “Exploring the Hidden Universe” by Prof. McDonald and Prof. Barish were a resounding success and attracted more than 250 listeners.
