Chasing Shadows: Following the Trail of Dark Matter from the Cosmos to the Lab | Bashi Mandava

Lecture Date: 11/6/25 Speaker: Bashi Mandava Summary: Dark matter makes up about 85% of all matter in the universe, yet it has never been directly observed. Its gravitational fingerprints are everywhere: in galactic rotation curves, gravitational lensing and the cosmic microwave background to name a few. But what is it? In this talk, we’ll follow the mysterious story of dark matter, the astrophysical evidence that establishes its existence and the global efforts to detect it in the lab and elsewhere. From heavy particles the size of dinosaurs to ultra-light fields that may ripple through the cosmos, the search spans an enormous range of possibilities and I will talk about some of the cutting-edge research that's being conducted in this field to discover the nature of dark matter.