WAS February 2026 - Dr. Yue Yu, Columbia - The X-Ray Frontier: Next-Generation Solar Axion Searches скачать в хорошем качестве

WAS February 2026 - Dr. Yue Yu, Columbia - The X-Ray Frontier: Next-Generation Solar Axion Searches

WAS Welcomes Dr. Yue Yu from Columbia for the first time to our free lecture series. X-ray telescopes for the International Axion Observatory (IAXO) and the next generation of solar axion searches Axions and axion-like particles (ALPs) are among the most compelling candidates for dark matter. Our sun serves as a natural axion factory, where a reservoir of the photons in the solar core is converted into abundant axions, offering a promising approach to search for axions. When the solar axions escape the Sun and stream towards Earth, ground-based axion helioscopes reconvert the axions into X-ray photons. Focusing X-ray telescopes concentrate the X-ray photons onto a small, low- noise detector area, constituting a key component for enhancing detection sensitivity. This talk will introduce an overview of the next-generation helioscope experiment, the International Axion Observatory (IAXO), and its pathfinder, BabyIAXO. It will also cover the design and development of one of the BabyIAXO inner core X-ray telescopes, including its optical performance requirements, fabrication challenges and implementation strategies. Dr. Yue Yu completed her Ph.D. in physics at Tongji University, after receiving her bachelor’s degree from Ocean University of China. She is currently a postdoctoral research scientist in the Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, working with Prof. Kerstin Perez. Her research focuses on the development of X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) optical systems for astronomical and astrophysical observations. She works across the full development cycle of optical instrumentation—including optical design, characterization, and commissioning—at both component and system levels. At present, she is leading the development of the X ray inner core optics for the International Axion Observatory (IAXO) project.