Daneng Yang

Daneng Yang

Postdoc in Physics

Daneng Yang’s academic personal websites

Welcome to my personal webpage! I am a researcher actively working on the fascinating realm of dark matter physics, covering astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics. My primary focus is on probing new physics by studying astrophysical signatures and gaining a deeper understanding of the distribution of cosmic dark matter. While the existence of dark matter is firmly established through gravitational interaction, its properties, such as possible self-interactions and interactions with standard model particles, remain elusive. The hierarchical distribution of dark matter, arising from its complex non-linear evolution under gravity, adds another layer of complexity to the search for new physics effects. Excitingly, the realm of dark matter physics is witnessing groundbreaking advancements through existing and upcoming observations. Remarkable achievements, such as the stochastic gravitational wave, the merger of binary black holes, and massive galaxies at high redshifts, have enriched our understanding of the universe and brought us closer to unraveling the mystery features of dark matter. Beyond my work in dark matter physics, I have also dedicated efforts to searching for multi-gauge boson productions and interactions in collider experiments. Please feel free to explore my page to learn more about my research. Your inquiries and potential partnerships are always welcome!

Education

  • 2013–2018, Ph.D. of High Energy Physics, Department of Physics and State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China
  • 2009–2013, Bachelor of Physics Studies, Department of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China

Appointments

  • 2021–Present, Postdoc, University of California, Riverside, CA, US
  • 2018–2021, Postdoc, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Unraveling new physics confronting complicated data

The energy density of the universe is dominated by two components, dark energy and dark matter, which are not accounted for in the standard model of particle physics. Investigating new physics beyond the standard model is actively researched in collider physics and cosmology. However, astrophysics faces challenges in probing new physics due to the nonlinear nature of structure formation and environmental influences, leading to uncertainties in accurate modeling.

In works with collaborators, we proposed novel approaches to confronting these difficulties. In a JCAP paper (2022), we proposed a halo-dependent way to reduce the effect of a generic elastic scattering cross section to that of a constant cross section. The method naturally captures the correlation between a particle cross section and the structure of a halo, motivating more systematic explorations of particle physics through dark matter halos. Based on the universal behavior of gravothermal evolution, we further proposed a parametric model to model a population of cosmic SIDM halos based on a few analytic equations. In another recent work, we uncovered some hidden topological features in the distribution of dark matter halos and encoded them using networks. We proposed a simple random graph model to generate these properties and demonstrated that the generated graphs are scale-free and self-similar. Our study provides a new angle of looking at the clustering of dark matter and is related to recent applications of graph neural networks in probing features of dark matter halos.

Related works

  • Daneng Yang, Ethan O. Nadler, Hai-Bo Yu, and Yi-Ming Zhong. A Parametric Model for Self-Interacting Dark Matter Halos. 5 2023. arXiv:2305.16176.
  • Daneng Yang and Hai-Bo Yu. Gravothermal evolution of dark matter halos with differential elastic scattering. JCAP, 09:077, 2022. arXiv:2205.03392, doi:10.1088/1475-7516/2022/09/077.
  • Daneng Yang and Hai-Bo Yu. A graph model for the clustering of dark matter halos. 6 2022. arXiv:2206.05578.
  • Yi-Ming Zhong, Daneng Yang, and Hai-Bo Yu. The impact of baryonic potentials on the gravothermal evolution of self-interacting dark matter haloes. 6 2023.arXiv:2306.08028.

Probing new physics through astrophysical observations

We are in an era of using multimessenger astrophysical observations to explore fundamental physics. With collaborators, I have explored a number of new physics scenarios, ranging from self-interacting dark matter (SIDM), freeze-in dark matter, and axion dark matter. With Prof. Hai-Bo Yu, and Prof. Haipeng An (THU), we demonstrated in a PRL paper (Editor’s suggestion) that SIDM could enhance the tidal stripping of core-forming halos, which can facilitate the formation of galaxies that lack dark matter. With Prof. Yu, we examined strong lensing features in light of an observational excess of small-scale lenses and highlighted the differences between SIDM and cold dark matter (CDM) scenarios. Recently, I collaborated with Dr. Ethan O. Nadler and Prof. Yu to perform high-resolution cosmological simulations and demonstrated promising features of some strong velocity-dependent SIDM models in reproducing observational features.

Related works

  • Daneng Yang, Hai-Bo Yu, and Haipeng An. Self-interacting dark matter and the origin of ultradiffuse galaxies ngc1052-df2 and -df4. Phys. Rev. Lett. (Editor’s suggestion), 125:111105, Sep 2020. URL: https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.111105, doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.111105.
  • Daneng Yang, Ethan O. Nadler, and Hai-Bo Yu. Strong Dark Matter Self-interactions Diversify Halo Populations within and surrounding the Milky Way.Astrophys. J., 949(2):67, 2023. arXiv:2211.13768, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/acc73e.
  • Simeon Bird, Chia-Feng Chang, Yanou Cui, Daneng Yang. Enhanced Early Galaxy Formation in JWST from Axion Dark Matter? arXiv:2307.10302
  • Ethan O. Nadler, Daneng Yang, and Hai-Bo Yu. An SIDM Solution to the Extreme Diversity of Low-mass Halo Properties. 6 2023. arXiv:2306.01830.
  • Daneng Yang and Hai-Bo Yu. Self-interacting dark matter and small-scale gravitational lenses in galaxy clusters. Phys. Rev. D, 104(10):103031, 2021. arXiv:2102.02375, doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.104.103031.
  • Haipeng An and Daneng Yang. Direct detection of freeze-in inelastic dark matter. Phys. Lett. B, 818:136408, 2021. arXiv:2006.15672, doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2021.136408.

Gauge boson searches

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) serves as the most powerful apparatus for exploring fundamental particle interactions. I worked with Prof. Qiang Li (PKU), Prof. Yajun Mao (PKU), and other collaborators on multiple collider experiments and phenomenology projects related to the LHC. Our works are mainly about multi-gauge-boson production and gauge boson self-interactions. I led the first measurement of W-gamma vector boson scattering analysis in the CMS experiment and actively participated in the first triboson production analysis at the LHC. I also contributed to several other experimental and phenomenological studies with published papers.

  • Vardan Khachatryan et al. Daneng Yang as contact person, approval and pre-approval speaker. Measurement of electroweak-induced production of Wγ with two jets in proton-proton collisions at s = 8 TeV and constraints on anomalous quartic gauge couplings. JHEP, 06:106, 2017. arXiv:1612.09256, doi:10.1007/JHEP06(2017)106.
  • Serguei Chatrchyan et al. Daneng Yang as approval talk speaker. Search for WWγ and WZγ production and constraints on anomalous quartic gauge couplings in proton-proton collisions at s = √8 TeV. Phys. Rev., D90(3):032008, 2014. arXiv:1404.4619, doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.90.032008.

Selected talks

Publications

  1. Simeon Bird, Chia-Feng Chang, Yanou Cui, and Daneng Yang. Enhanced Early Galaxy Formation in JWST from Axion Dark Matter? 7 2023. arXiv:2307.10302.
  2. Yi-Ming Zhong, Daneng Yang, and Hai-Bo Yu. The impact of baryonic potentials on the gravothermal evolution of self-interacting dark matter haloes. 6 2023.arXiv:2306.08028.
  3. Ethan O. Nadler, Daneng Yang, and Hai-Bo Yu. An SIDM Solution to the Extreme Diversity of Low-mass Halo Properties. 6 2023. arXiv:2306.01830.
  4. Daneng Yang, Ethan O. Nadler, Hai-Bo Yu, and Yi-Ming Zhong. A Parametric Model for Self-Interacting Dark Matter Halos. 5 2023. arXiv:2305.16176.
  5. Daneng Yang and Hai-Bo Yu. Gravothermal evolution of dark matter halos with differential elastic scattering. JCAP, 09:077, 2022. arXiv:2205.03392, doi:10.1088/1475-7516/2022/09/077.
  6. Daneng Yang, Ethan O. Nadler, and Hai-Bo Yu. Strong Dark Matter Self-interactions Diversify Halo Populations within and surrounding the Milky Way.Astrophys. J., 949(2):67, 2023. arXiv:2211.13768, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/acc73e.
  7. Daneng Yang and Hai-Bo Yu. A graph model for the clustering of dark matter halos. 6 2022. arXiv:2206.05578.
  8. Haipeng An and Daneng Yang. Direct detection of freeze-in inelastic dark matter. Phys. Lett. B, 818:136408, 2021. arXiv:2006.15672, doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2021.136408.
  9. Haipeng An, Zhen Hu, Zhen Liu, and Daneng Yang. Exploring Uncharted Soft Displaced Vertices in Open Data. 7 2021. arXiv:2107.11405.
  10. Daneng Yang and Hai-Bo Yu. Self-interacting dark matter and small-scale gravitational lenses in galaxy clusters. Phys. Rev. D, 104(10):103031, 2021. arXiv:2102.02375, doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.104.103031.
  11. Daneng Yang, Hai-Bo Yu, and Haipeng An. Self-interacting dark matter and the origin of ultradiffuse galaxies ngc1052-df2 and -df4. Phys. Rev. Lett. (Editor’s suggestion), 125:111105, Sep 2020. URL: https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.111105, doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.111105.
  12. Kaoru Hagiwara, Hiroyuki Ishida, Toshifumi Yamada, and Daneng Yang. Determining the strong phase of the a 1 meson decay amplitude using the w→ντ (→νa1 (→π ∓ π ∓ π ±)) process. Phys. Rev. D, 101:034023, Feb 2020. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.101.034023.
  13. Daneng Yang and Qiang Li. Probing the Dark Sector through Mono-Z Boson Leptonic Decays. JHEP, 02:090, 2018. arXiv:1711.09845, doi:10.1007/JHEP02(2018)090.
  14. Vardan Khachatryan et al. Daneng Yang as contact person, approval and pre-approval speaker. Measurement of electroweak-induced production of Wγ with two jets in proton-proton collisions at s = 8 TeV and constraints on anomalous quartic gauge couplings. JHEP, 06:106, 2017. arXiv:1612.09256, doi:10.1007/JHEP06(2017)106.
  15. Vardan Khachatryan et al. Measurement of the cross section for electroweak production of Zγ in association with two jets and constraints on anomalous quartic gauge couplings in proton-proton collisions at s = √8 TeV. Phys. Lett., B770:380–402, 2017. arXiv:1702.03025, doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2017.04.071.
  16. Zhen-Wei Cui, Qiang Li, Gang Li, Man-Qi Ruan, Lei Wang, and Daneng Yang. Measurement of h → µ + µ − production in association with a z boson at the CEPC. Chinese Physics C, 42(5):053001, may 2018. doi:10.1088/1674-1137/42/5/053001.
  17. Yiwen Wen, Huilin Qu, Daneng Yang, Qi-shu Yan, Qiang Li, and Yajun Mao. Probing triple-W production and anomalous WWWW coupling at the CERN LHC and future O(100) TeV proton-proton collider. JHEP, 03:025, 2015. arXiv:1407.4922, doi:10.1007/JHEP03(2015)025.
  18. Serguei Chatrchyan et al. Daneng Yang as approval talk speaker. Search for WWγ and WZγ production and constraints on anomalous quartic gauge couplings in proton-proton collisions at s = √8 TeV. Phys. Rev., D90(3):032008, 2014. arXiv:1404.4619, doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.90.032008.
  19. Ke Ye, Daneng Yang, and Qiang Li. CERN LHC sensitivity on measuring W ± Zγ production and anomalous WWZγ coupling. Phys. Rev., D88:015023, 2013. arXiv:1305.5979, doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.88.015023.
  20. Daneng Yang, Yajun Mao, Qiang Li, Shuai Liu, Zijun Xu, and Ke Ye. Probing W + W − γ Production and Anomalous Quartic Gauge Boson Couplings at the CERN LHC. JHEP, 04:108, 2013. arXiv:1211.1641, doi:10.1007/JHEP04(2013)108.