Colloquium
Upcoming Colloquium
Searching for the Universe's Dark Matter
Dr. Alvine Kamaha, UCLA
October 13, 2025
11:00am in HSCI-102
Astrophysical observations suggest that about 85% of the matter in the universe exists in an invisible, yet-to-be-discovered form known as dark matter. Unveiling its nature remains one of the most compelling challenges in modern physics. Worldwide, numerous experiments are pursuing this mystery through diverse detection technologies. Among them is LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ), the U.S. flagship direct-detection dark matter experiment, located at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota. LZ uses a dual-phase liquid xenon time projection chamber (TPC) to search for various dark matter candidates, including Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), a leading possibility. In this talk, I will discuss the astrophysical evidence for dark matter, review key theoretical candidates, and describe direct detection strategies, emphasizing the TPC approach used by LZ. I will conclude by presenting recent world-leading results from LZ as well as an outlook on the future of dark matter research.
About the Colloquium
The Colloquium is a unique opportunity for students to learn about new developments in physics and what physicists do after they graduate. Hosted by the Physics and Astronomy Department at California State University, Long Beach, the weekly meetings invite guests from universities, research laboratories, and industry to present and discuss current topics in physics. All students are encouraged to attend for a well-rounded experience and training in physics.
Colloquium Coordinator
For information and suggestions about the colloquium please contact the colloquium coordinator:
Dr. Sarah Grefe
Sarah.Grefe@csulb.edu
Schedule
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| October 13, 2025 | Searching for the Universe's Dark Matter | Dr. Alvine Kamaha, UCLA |
| October 20, 2025 | Physics of Anime | Kristjan Stone, Roman Gomez, Caleb Baker; Jet Propulsion Laboratory / NASA |
| October 27, 2025 | (topic: plasma experiment) | William Heidbrink, UC Irvine |
| November 3, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter theory) | Clare Yu, UC Irvine |
| November 10, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter experiment) | Nicholas Dale, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
| November 17, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter theory) | Elizabeth Peterson, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| December 1, 2025 | (topic: condensed matter theory) | Gil Refael, Caltech |
| December 3, 2025 | Student Presentations | CSULB physics students |
| December 5, 2025 | Student Presentations | CSULB physics students |
Previous Colloquia
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| October 6, 2025 | Faculty Research Presentations | Physics Department Faculty, CSU Long Beach |
| September 29, 2025 | Bicrystals and Bowties: Photothermoelectric and Plasmonic effects of gold nanostructures | Dr. Charlotte Evans, Sandia National Laboratory |
| September 22, 2025 | Studying strongly correlated systems with AI | Dr. Eduardo Ibarra Garcia Padilla, Harvey Mudd College |
| September 15, 2025 | A New Approach to the Flavor Puzzle | Dr. Michael Ratz, UC Irvine |
| September 8, 2025 | Department Meet 'n Mix | Department Faculty, Staff, and Student Leaders |
The Colloquium Archive has the Colloquia from previous semesters.
Sponsors
We acknowledge with gratitude donations and support from the following present sponsors:
- H.E. and H.B. Miller and Family Endowment
- Benjamin Carter
- Mary L. Bresnan
- K. Y. Shen
- American Physical Society
- Anonymous
We also acknowledge with gratitude our past donors: The Forty-Niner Shops, Inc., The Northrop Grumman Foundation, Sandra Dana, Anonymous.
If you wish to support the Colloquium, please contact the colloquium coordinator or the department chair. Thank you!
