Testing fundamental physics with stars

The question of whether there exists new physics beyond our standard paradigm of particles and forces is the “million dollar” question in current theoretical phys-ics. Various theoretical and observational challenges, most notably the pressing questions of dark energy and dark matter, call for the introduction of exotic fields and forces in the Universe, beyond the Standard Model of particles and General Relativity. A key question that emerges is how to construct accurate and preci-sion tests of new theories at different scales in the Universe. In this regard, stars offer powerful laboratories that allow for precision tests of gravity and particle physics.

This project will develop new probes of fundamental physics at stellar scales towards understanding the nature of gravity, dark energy and dark matter in the Universe. The project is broad and will combine theoretical and numerical tools for the modelling of stars in the presence of new physics. This includes the stel-lar evolution and oscillations, the physics of white dwarfs or relativistic compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes in the presence of new physics [1,3].

Expected: Adequate numerical skills in coding and numerical methods is essential, preferably Fortran and/or Python. A background on stellar astrophysics or the phenomenology of particle physics are also desirable.

References:

[1] I. D. Saltas & I. Lopes, PRL 123 (2019) no.9, 091103 – arXiv:1909.02552
[2] I. D. Saltas, I. Sawicki & I. Lopes, JCAP 1805 (2018) 028 – arXiv:1803.00541
[3] I. D. Saltas & J. Christensen-Dalsgaard (2022) — arXiv: 2205.14134
[4] J. Sakstein & I. D. Saltas (2023) — arXiv: 2305.03085