Nancy Aggarwal

Could a nanoparticle levitated by light inside a tabletop cavity detect gravitational waves from dark matter & exotic sources? We think so. But building one well requires understanding some counterintuitive physics. Work led by my student Andrew Laeuger arxiv.org/pdf/2604.07302🧵

Under the hood: we give the first fully relativistic derivation of this system, working in both TT and LL gauges and showing the observable is gauge-invariant. We also go beyond the long-wavelength approximation — relevant as cavities get longer and GW frequencies push higher.

The same asymmetry has a direct consequence for noise. Input mirror displacement noise is naturally suppressed. End mirror noise isn't. Design implication: for low-frequency operation, end mirror noise is what you need to suppress.

Could a nanoparticle levitated by light inside a tabletop cavity detect gravitational waves from dark matter & exotic sources? We think so. But building one well requires understanding some counterintuitive physics. Work led by my student Andrew Laeuger arxiv.org/pdf/2604.07302🧵

Just a couple of spooky black holes orbiting each other in space ⚫⚫ Happy Halloween 🎃🎃

New PRL out! journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/1… Constraints on planetary-mass primordial black holes using enhanced continuous wave searches in LIGO data.

Work led by @NUCIERA @NUPhysicsAstro student Jacob Sprague. The galactic population of superradiant axion clouds around stellar origin black holes for axion mass in the few 10^-11 eV range: potential GW sources in 10 kHz to 100 kHz frequency region.arxiv.org/abs/2409.03714

We look at two different types of systems, equal mass binaries and binaries with one BH at 2.5 solar masses. We place model-independent constraints on horizon distance, merger rate, and f-tilde, a DM fraction parameter independent of suppression rates and mass functions. (5/5)

Previously we developed a continuous-wave (CW) search for even lower mass systems, because the GW signal from them can be approximately monochromatic. In mass range 1000 times smaller than the sun, we cannot use either methods, so a new method, using GFH was developed. (4/5)

With arxiv.org/abs/2402.19468 new constraints just dropped on planetary mass primordial black holes (PBHs). We use a computational technique called the Generalized Frequency Hough on the first half of LIGO 's third observing run. (1/2)

@vfsglobalcare Vfs more than influenced the outcome by not letting me submit my application. So yes, I will need to reach out to your client to complain about this unwelcome and unwanted interference in my visa application by VFS.

@aggarwalnancy Hi Nancy, please note that the timeline for processing an application & the outcome of a visa decision is the sole prerogative of the concerned client government and VFS Global can in no way influence the same. (1/2)

@FinlandLA @VFSGlobal @vfsglobalcare My visa application was wrongfully rejected by VFS, despite me obeying the rules as stated on both Finland Consulate and VFS website. They are unaware of the rules stated clearly on both websites but instead of learning about them

I have emailed the manager of the SF VFS office who is the direct supervisor of the VFS employee who handled my case. She has not responded to my emails.

, they chose to send me back home. Since I was confident that I had done the right thing, I told them I would prefer to submit my application nonetheless. However they denied me the submission on the small chance that it might get rejected by the Consulate.

@benbenbrubaker I was not aware of this transition! Glad to hear it is going well :)

A few years in, practically every change associated with my move from physics to science journalism has been for the better. The one glaring exception is the fact that I now have to use microsoft word instead of latex. I hate this program so much.

@Ozera1 That's a good idea. I don't have one right now, no.

@aggarwalnancy I am looking to apply for post-doc positions this Fall. Do you have a webpage with details of the position?

I have started a faculty job at UC Davis and am now searching for postdocs and PhD students. Please reach out if you or anyone you know are interested. Our research spans building gravitational wave and dark matter experiments and data analyses for new physics signatures.

@thangnguyentat5 Through the university portal 😊

@aggarwalnancy Wow, that sounds amazing, so do I need to send my application/information directly to you through Gmail or it must go through the university application portal?