# Research

**Source**: https://astroparticle-science.sydney.edu.au/research/
**Parent**: https://astroparticle-science.sydney.edu.au/

## **Our research covers**

- Dark matter particle physics and astrophysics
- Direct dark matter detection (LZ, SABRE, DARWIN, XLZD, CYGNUS)
- Neutrino physics
- Novel particle detectors
- Cosmic rays
- Black holes
- Fundamental physics with astronomy and astrometry

If you are interested in undertaking a project in one of these areas for your undergraduate degree, a summer project, or as a PhD or honours student, please get in touch with [Celine,](https://astroparticle-science.sydney.edu.au/members/) [Ciaran,](https://astroparticle-science.sydney.edu.au/members/) [Laura](https://astroparticle-science.sydney.edu.au/members/) or [Theresa](https://astroparticle-science.sydney.edu.au/members/). To look at some examples of research projects we have offered go to the [study with us](https://astroparticle-science.sydney.edu.au/opportunities/) page

## **Recent publications (2020—present)**

**\
Fine-grained dark matter substructure and axion haloscopes**\
C. A. J. O’Hare, G. Pierobon\
[arXiv:[](https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.14874)[2509.14874](https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.14874)]\
**\
Leading bounds on micro- to picometer fifth forces from neutron star cooling**\
D. F. G. Fiorillo, A. Lella, C. A. J. O’Hare, E. Vitagliano\
[arXiv:[](https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.19906)[2506.19906](https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.19906)]

**LHAASO Galactic Plane γ-rays Strongly Constrain Heavy Dark Matter**\
C. Boehm, R. Laha, T. N. Maity\
[arXiv:[](https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.07982)[2509.07982](https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.07982)]

**Searching for beyond-Standard-Model solar neutrino interactions using directional detectors**\
A. Chandra Shekar, C. Lisotti, N. Mishra, C. A. J. O’Hare, L. E. Strigari\
[arXiv:[](https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.17593)[2506.09322](https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.09322)]

**Populating Large N-body Simulations with LRGs Using Neural Networks**\
M. Icaza-Lizaola, E. L. Sirks, Y.S. Song, P. Norberg, F. Shi\
[arXiv:[](https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.14193)[2503.07713](https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.14193)]

**ν limits from Super-Kamiokande on dark matter-electron scattering in the Sun**\
D. Krishna, R. Sherpa, A. Kumar Saha, T. N. Maity, R. Laha, N. Raj\
[arXiv:[](https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.17593)[2503.07713](https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.07713)]

**Listening for ultra-heavy dark matter with underwater acoustic detectors**\
D. Cleaver, C. McCabe, C. A. J. O’Hare et al.\
[arXiv:[](https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.17593)[2502.17593](https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.17593)]

**Neutrinos as background and signal in Migdal search**\
T. N. Maity\
[arXiv:[](https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.17593)[2412.17649](https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.17649)]

**Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Sensitivity of the XLZD Rare Event Observatory**\
J. Aalbers, … C. Boehm, T. Fruth, L. Manenti C. A. J. O’Hare et al.\
[arXiv:[2410.19016]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.19016)\
**\
The XLZD Design Book: Towards the Next-Generation Liquid Xenon Observatory for Dark Matter and Neutrino Physics**\
J. Aalbers, … C. Boehm, T. Fruth, L. Manenti C. A. J. O’Hare et al.\
[arXiv:[2410.17137]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.17137)

**Model-independent searches of new physics in DARWIN with a semi-supervised deep learning pipelines**\
J. Aalbers, … C. Boehm, C. A. J. O’Hare et al.\
[arXiv:[2410.00755]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.00755)

**Using dust to constrain dark matter models**\
A. Ussing, R. A. Mostoghiu Paun, D. Croton, C. Boehm, A. Duffy, C. Power\
[MNRAS **534** 3 (2024)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.14780)

**First measurement of the weak mixing angle in direct detection experiments**\
T. N. Maity and C. Boehm\
[arXiv:[2409.04385]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.04385)

**Probing the Scalar WIMP-Pion Coupling with the first LUX-ZEPLIN data**\
J. Aalbers, …, T. Fruth et al.\
[arXiv:[2406.02441]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.02441)

**SuperBIT Superpressure Flight Instrument Overview and Performance: Near diffraction-limited Astronomical Imaging from the Stratosphere** \
A. S. Gill, …, E. L. Sirks et al.\
[AJ **168** 85 (2024)](https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ad5840)

**Review of particle physics**\
Particle Data Group, S. Navas, … C. A. J. O’Hare et al.\
[Phys. Rev. D **110**, 030001 (2024)](https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.110.030001)

**The Data Acquisition System of the LZ Dark Matter Detector: FADR**\
J. Aalbers, …, T. Fruth et al.\
[arXiv:[2405.14732]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.14732)

**Hydrodynamical simulations of merging galaxy clusters: giant dark matter particle colliders, powered by gravity**\
E. L. Sirks et al.\
[Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. **530** (2024) 3, 3160-3170](https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/530/3/3160/7649378)

**Constraints On Covariant WIMP-Nucleon Effective Field Theory Interactions from the First Science Run of the LUX-ZEPLIN Experiment**\
J. Aalbers, …, T. Fruth et al.\
[arXiv:[2404.17666]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.17666)

**Particle dark matter versus modified gravity**\
C. Boehm\
[Nucl.Phys.B **1003** (2024) 116503](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0550321324000695?via%3Dihub)

**CYGnuS: Detecting solar neutrinos with directional gas time projection chambers**\
C. Lisotti, C. A. J. O’Hare, E. Baracchini, V. U. Bashu, L. J. Bignell, F. Dastgiri, M. Ghrear, G. J. Lane, L. J. McKie, P. C. McNamara, S. Torelli\
[Eur. Phys. J. C, 84 10 (2024) 1021](https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.03690)

**Cosmology of axion dark matter** C. A. J. O’Hare\
[PoS COSMICWISPers (2024) 040](https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.17697)

**New constraints on ultraheavy dark matter from the LZ experiment**\
J. Aalbers, … T. Fruth, et al.\
[arXiv:[2402.08865]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.08865)

**The neutrino fog for dark matter-electron scattering experiments**\
 B. Carew, A. R. Caddell, T. N. Maity, C. A. J. O’Hare\
[Phys. Rev. D **109**, 083016 (2024)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.04303)

**GraL spectroscopic identification of multiply imaged quasars**\
P. Jalan, V. Negi, J. Surdej, C. Boehm et al.\
[arXiv:[2312.08217]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.08217)

**First Constraints on WIMP-Nucleon Effective Field Theory Couplings in an Extended Energy Region From LUX-ZEPLIN** \
J. Aalbers, … T. Fruth et al.\
[arXiv:[2312.02030]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.02030)

**Axion minicluster streams in the solar neighbourhood** \
C. A. J. O’Hare, G. Pierobon, J. Redondo\
[Phys. Rev. Lett. **133**, 081001 (2024)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.17367)

**Data Downloaded via Parachute from a NASA Super-Pressure Balloon** E. L. Sirks et al.\
[Aerospace 10 (2023) 11, 960](https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.08602)

**A full reconstruction of two galaxy clusters intra-cluster medium with strong gravitational lensing** \
J. Allingham, C. Boehm et al.\
[arXiv:[2309.07076]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.07076)

**Cosmogenic background simulations for the DARWIN observatory at different underground locations** \
DARWIN collaboration, M. Adrover et al.\
[arXiv:[2306.16340]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.16340)

**Search for new physics in low-energy electron recoils from the first LZ exposure** \
J. Aalbers, …, T. Fruth et al.\
[arXiv:[2307.15753]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.15753)

**The spin axes of globular clusters and correlations with gamma-ray emission** \
Ciaran A. J. O’Hare, Alberto Krone-Martins, Celine Boehm, Roland Crocker\
[arXiv:[2306.11276]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.11276)

**Feebly Interacting Particles: FIPs 2022 workshop report** \
C. Antel, … Celine Boehm, Ciaran A. J. O’Hare\
[arXiv:[2304.05134]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05134)

**Aether Scalar Tensor (AeST) theory: Quasistatic spherical solutions and their phenomenology** \
Peter Verwayen, Constantinos Skordis, Celine Boehm\
[arXiv:[2304.05134]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05134)

**Strong gravitational lensing’s ‘external shear’ is not shear**\
A. Etherington, … Ellen Sirks et al.\
[arXiv:[2301.05244]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.05244)

**Axion minivoids and implications for direct detection**\
Benedikt Eggemeier, Ciaran A.J. O’Hare, Giovanni Pierobon, Javier Redondo, Yvonne Y.Y. Wong\
[Phys. Rev. D **107**, 083510 (2023)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2212.00560)

**Hybrid multi-fluid-particle simulations of the cosmic neutrino background**\
Joe Zhiyu Chen, Markus R. Mosbech, Amol Upadhye, Yvonne Y.Y. Wong\
[JCAP **03** (2023) 012](https://arxiv.org/abs/2210.16012)

**Probing dark matter interactions with 21 cm observation**\
Markus R. Mosbech, Celine Boehm, Yvonne Y. Y. Wong\
[JCAP **03** (2023) 047](https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.03107)

**Background Determination for the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Dark Matter Experiment**\
J. Aalbers, … Theresa Fruth et al.\
[arXiv:[2211.17120]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2211.17120)

**Limits on Dark Photons, Scalars, and Axion-Electromagnetodynamics with The ORGAN Experiment**\
Ben T. McAllister, Aaron Quiskamp, Ciaran A. J. O’Hare, Paul Altin, Eugene Ivanov, Maxim Goryachev, Michael E. Tobar\
[Annalen Phys. 2023 2200622](https://arxiv.org/abs/2212.01971)

**Weak Lensing in the Blue: A Counter-intuitive Strategy for Stratospheric Observations**\
M. M. Shaaban et al. (including Ellen Sirks)\
[The Astronomical Journal, **164**, 6, id.245](https://arxiv.org/abs/2210.09182)

**A Next-Generation Liquid Xenon Observatory for Dark Matter and Neutrino Physics**\
J. Aalbers, et al. (including C Boehm, C. A. J. O’Hare, T. Fruth)\
[J.Phys.G **50** (2023) 1, 013001](https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.02309)

**Effects of Hawking evaporation on PBH distributions**\
Markus R. Mosbech & Zachary S. C. Picker\
[SciPost Phys. **13** (2022) 100](https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.05743)

**Phenomenology of the companion-axion model: photon couplings**\
Zhe Chen, Archil Kobakhidze, Ciaran A. J. O’Hare, Zachary S.C. Picker, Giovanni Pierobon\
[Eur. Phys. J. C, **82** (2022) 940](https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.12920)

**A Reputation Game Simulation: Emergent Social Phenomena from Information Theory**\
Torsten Enßlin, Viktoria Kainz, Céline Bœhm\
[Annalen der Physik, vol. 534, issue 5, p. 2100277](https://arxiv.org/abs/2106.05414)

**Electroweak Dark Matter**\
Ramtin Amintaheri\
[JHEP 05 (2022) 007](https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.11574)

**CTA – the World’s largest ground-based gamma-ray observatory**\
Roberta Zanin, … Celine Boehm et al.\
[PoS ICRC2021 (2022) 005](https://inspirehep.net/literature/2056152)

**Apparent horizons of the Thakurta spacetime and the description of cosmological black holes**\
Archil Kobakhidze, Zachary S. C. Picker\
[Eur. Phys. J. C **82** (2022) 4, 347](https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.13921)

**Particle detection and tracking with DNA**\
Ciaran A. J. O’Hare,…, Celine Boehm, et al.\
[Eur. Phys. J. C **82** 4 (2022) 306](https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.11949)

**Simulations of axion-like particles in the post-inflationary scenario**\
Ciaran A. J. O’Hare, Giovanni Pierobon, Javier Redondo, Yvonne. Y. Y. Wong\
[Phys. Rev. D **105**, 055025 (2022)](https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.105.055025)

**Reticulum II: Particle Dark Matter and Primordial Black Holes Limits**\
Thomas Siegert, Céline Bœhm et al.\
[MNRAS **511**, 1 (2022)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.03791)

**Report of the Topical Group on Particle Dark Matter for Snowmass 2021**\
J. Cooley, … Ciaran A. J. O’Hare et al.\
[arXiv:[2209.07426]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.07426)

**Micro-pattern gaseous detectors**\
B. Surrow, … Ciaran A. J. O’Hare et al.\
[arXiv:[2209.05202]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.14126)

**First Dark Matter Search Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment**\
J. Aalbers, … Theresa Fruth et al.\
[arXiv:[2207.03764]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.03764)

**Gravitational-wave event rates as a new probe for dark matter microphysics**\
Markus R. Mosbech, Alexander C. Jenkins, Sownak Bose, Celine Boehm, Mairi Sakellariadou, Yvonne Y.Y. Wong\
[arXiv:[2207.14126]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.14126)

**Can radial motions in the stellar halo constrain the rate of change of mass in the Galaxy?**\
Sanjib Sharma, Joss Bland-Hawthorn, Joseph Silk, Celine Boehm\
[Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. **521** (2023) 3, 4074-4084](https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.11739)

**Joint HST, VLT/MUSE and XMM-Newton observations to constrain the mass distribution of the two strong lensing galaxy clusters: MACS J0242.5-2132 & MACS J0949.8+1708**\
Joseph F.V. Allingham, Mathilde Jauzac, David J. Lagattuta, Guillaume Mahler, Céline Bœhm, Geraint F. Lewis, Dominique Eckert, Alastair Edge, Stefano Ettori\
[Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. **522** (2023) 1, 1118-1137](https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.10520)

**Radio sky reveals primordial electron-proton interactions**\
Shyam Balaji, Maura E. Ramirez-Quezada, Celine Boehm\
[arXiv:[2204.13711]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.13711)

**Axion dark matter**\
C. Adams, … Ciaran A. J. O’Hare, … et al.\
[arXiv:[2203.14923]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.14923)

**New Horizons: Scalar and Vector Ultralight Dark Matter**\
D. Antybas, … Ciaran A. J. O’Hare, … et al.\
[arXiv:[2203.14915]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.14915)

**Dark Matter Direct Detection to the Neutrino Fog**\
D. S. Akerib, … Ciaran A. J. O’Hare, … et al.\
[arXiv:[2203.08084]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.08084)

**Dark Matter Physics from Halo Measurements**\
K. Bechtol, … Celine Boehm, … et al.\
[arXiv:[2203.07354]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.07354)

**Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering: Terrestrial and astrophysical applications**\
M. Abdullah, … Ciaran A. J. O’Hare, … et al.\
[arXiv:[2203.07361]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.07361)

**Recoil imaging for dark matter, neutrinos, and physics beyond the Standard Model**\
Ciaran A. J. O’Hare et al.\
[arXiv:[2203.05914]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.05914)

**Fog on the horizon: a new definition of the neutrino floor for direct dark matter searches**\
Ciaran A. J. O’Hare\
[Phys. Rev. Lett. **127**,](http://arxiv.org/abs/2109.03116) [(2021)](http://arxiv.org/abs/2109.03116) [251802](http://arxiv.org/abs/2109.03116)

**Dark photon limits: a handbook**\
Andrea Caputo, Alexander J. Millar, Ciaran A. J. O’Hare, and Edoardo Vitagliano\
[Phys. Rev. D **104**, (2021) 095029](https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.04565)

**Faint objects in motion: the new frontier of high precision astrometry**\
Fabien Malbet, Céline Bœhm, Alberto Krone-Martins, Antonio Amorim, Guillem Anglada-Escudé et al.\
[Exper. Astron. **51** (2021) 3, 845-886](https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.08709)

**Optical reconstruction of dust in the region of supernova remnant RX J1713.7−3946 from astrometric data**\
Reimar Leike, Silvia Celli, Alberto Krone-Martins, Céline Bœhm, Martin Glatzle et al.\
[Nature Astron. **5** (2021) 8, 832-838](https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.14383)

**The full Boltzmann hierarchy for dark matter-massive neutrino interactions**\
Markus R. Mosbech, Céline Bœhm, et al.\
[JCAP **03** (2021) 066](https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.04206)

**Cornering the axion with CP-violating interactions**\
Ciaran A.J. O’Hare, Edoardo Vitagliano\
[Phys.Rev.D **102**(2020) 11, 115026](https://arxiv.org/abs/2010.03889)

**Scalar dark matter candidates revisited**\
Céline Bœhm, Xiaoyong Chu, Jui-Lin Kuo, Josef Pradler\
[Phys.Rev.D **103** (2021) 7, 075005](https://arxiv.org/abs/2010.02954)

**Directional recoil detection**\
Sven E. Vahsen, Ciaran A.J. O’Hare, Dinesh Loomba\
[Ann. Rev. Nucl. Part. Sci. **71** (2021) 189-224](https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.04596)

**Eliminating the LIGO bounds on primordial black hole dark matter**\
Céline Bœhm, Archil Kobakhidze, Ciaran A.J. O’Hare, Zachary S.C. Picker, Mairi Sakellariadou\
[JCAP **03** (2021) 078](https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.10743)

**Cosmology of the companion-axion model: dark matter, gravitational waves, and primordial black holes**\
Zhe Chen, Archil Kobakhidze, Ciaran A. J. O’Hare, Zachary S.C. Picker, Giovanni Pierobon\
[arXiv:[2110.11014]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.11014)

**Comment on: Cosmological black holes are not described by the Thakurta metric**\
Celine Boehm, Archil Kobakhidze, Ciaran A.J. O’Hare, Zachary S.C. Picker, Mairi Sakellariadou\
[arXiv:[2105.14908]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.14908)

**Navigating the asteroid field: New evaporation constraints for primordial black holes as dark matter**\
Zachary S.C. Picker\
[arXiv:[2103.02815]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.02815)

**CYGNUS: Feasibility of a nuclear recoil observatory with directional sensitivity to dark matter and neutrinos**\
Sven E. Vahsen, Ciaran A. J. O’Hare et al.\
[arXiv:[2008.12587]](https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.12587)

**Axion helioscopes as solar magnetometers**\
Ciaran A.J. O’Hare, Andrea Caputo, Alexander J. Millar, Edoardo Vitagliano\
[Phys. Rev. D **102** (2020) 4, 043019](https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.10415)

**Light new physics in XENON1T**\
Céline Bœhm, David G. Cerdeno, Malcolm Fairbairn, Pedro A.N. Machado, Aaron C. Vincent\
[Phys. Rev. D **102** (2020) 115013](https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.11250)

**Can we overcome the neutrino floor at high masses?**\
Ciaran A.J. O’Hare\
[Phys.Rev. D **102** (2020) 6, 063024](https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.07499)

**Using Circular Polarisation to Test the Composition and Dynamics of Astrophysical Particle Accelerators**\
Céline Bœhm, Céline Degrande, Jakub Scholtz, Aaron C. Vincent\
[Phys. Rev. D **102**, 123020 (2020)](https://arxiv.org/abs/1901.05462)

**The BUFFALO HST Survey**\
Charles L. Steinhardt, …, Joseph Allinghham, Celine Boehm, et al.\
[ApJS **247** 64 (2020)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.09999)

**Velocity substructure from *Gaia* and direct searches for dark matter**\
Ciaran A. J. O’Hare, N. Wyn Evans, Christopher McCabe, GyuChul Myeong, Vasily Belokurov\
[Phys. Rev. D **101** (2020) 2, 023006](https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.04684)

**Is it mixed dark matter or neutrino masses?**\
Julia Stadler, Céline Bœhm, and Olga Mena\
[JCAP **01** (2020) 039](https://arxiv.org/abs/1807.10034)