Abstract:
Over the past decades, terrestrial experiments have placed increasingly strong limits on particle dark matter. However, much of the theoretically well-motivated parameter space lies beyond our reach. Due to their extreme densities and magnetic fields, neutron stars potentially stand as optimal probes of feeble WIMP and axion dark matter interactions. In this talk, I will discuss novel methods aimed at probing dark matter-neutron star interactions, and more importantly, in separating potential dark matter induced signatures from complicated astrophysical backgrounds. Intriguingly, the sensitivity of these probes is already highly complementary to current terrestrial searches, and upcoming experiments promise transformative advances over the next decade.