• Nuclear, Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology (NUPAC) Seminars

April 21, 2026 1:45 PM
PAIS 3205

Host:

Rouzbeh Allahverdi

Presenter:

Evan David (UNM)

Despite the success of the standard model of particle physics and general relativity, the need for extensions to both theories is apparent. This can be seen in part from cosmological observations which the standard model cannot explain and the inability of general relativity to be quantized. Understanding the modifications these extensions make to otherwise theoretically well-understood processes is vital for designing theoretical tests of these extensions. In this talk, I discuss non-standard decays of matter-like scalar fields in the early universe, with specific emphasis on my recent work on the decays of the flat directions of a supersymmetric extension to the standard model. I then discuss an extension to general relativity called the effective theory of gravity and its implications for a compact non-singular alternative to black holes called gravitational vacuum condensate stars or gravastars. Finally, I discuss my proposed PhD timeline in which I will calculate the ringdown echo characteristic of gravastars, thereby creating a test of their existence.