Dark Matter as a portal to New Physics 2026

5 Jan 2026, 10:00 → 9 Jan 2026, 18:10 Asia/Seoul

headquarters (APCTP)

The 8th workshop on Dark Matter as a portal to New Physics (DMPNP 2026) will take place at the APCTP headquarter, Pohang, Korea, on Jan 5th - 9th, 2026.

The purpose of this focus research program is putting the young experts together to discuss the novel theoretical and experimental improvements in identifying dark matter. In particular, the program aims to encourage the participants to develop creative and non-conventional ideas which have not been considered in this field.

All of your accommodations are reserved at POSCO International Center Hotel (on campus of POSTECH) within 5 minute waling distance from the workshop venue.

 

Organizers

Kwang Sik Jeong (Pusan National University)

Sunghoon Jung (Seoul National University)

Shohei Okawa (APCTP)

Chan Beom Park (Chonnam National University)

Jong-Chul Park (Chungnam National University, co-chair)

Seodong Shin (Jeonbuk National University, chair)

                                                                             

Invited Speakers

Motoko Fujiwara (University of Toyama)

Audrey Fung (APCTP)

Kylar Greene (Seoul National University)

Sudip Jana (Harish-Chandra Research Institute)

Dong Woo Kang (Jeonbuk National University)

Doojin Kim (University of South Dakota)

Seongsik Kim (Chungnam National University)

TaeHun Kim (KIAS)

Chui-Fan Kong (IBS-CTPU)

Gurucharan Mohanta (APCTP)

Ui Min (TD Lee Institute)

Kai Murai (Tohoku University)

Hyeonseok Seong (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

Chang Sub Shin (Chungnam National University)

Jong-Hyun Yoon (Chungnam National University)

Seokhoon Yun (IBS-CTPU)

 

Invited Students

Yongik Jang (Kyungpook National University)

Sang Hwan Kim (Yonsei University)

 

 

 

 

Monday 5 January

10:00 → 10:50 Registration & Free discussion

10:50 → 11:00 Opening remark

Convener: Prof. Seodong Shin (Jeonbuk National University)

DMpNP2026-opening.pdf

11:00 → 11:45 Session 1

Convener: Prof. Seodong Shin (Jeonbuk National University)

11:00 Addressing the Flavor Puzzle via Radiative Mechanism

Speaker: Dr Gurucharan Mohanta (APCTP)

DMPNP_gurucharan.pdf

11:45 → 13:00 Lunch & Discussion

13:00 → 14:00 Session 2

Convener: Chang Sub Shin (Chungnam National University)

13:00 From Matter to Light: Unveiling Neutrino Non-Standard Interactions

Speaker: Prof. Sudip Jana (Harish-Chandra Research Institute)

APCTP2026_Sudip.pdf

14:00 → 15:00 Coffee & Discussion

15:00 → 15:45 Session 3

Convener: Chang Sub Shin (Chungnam National University)

15:00 Unified Gas Heating Constraints on Extended Dark Matter Compact Objects

Speaker: Dr TaeHun Kim (KIAS)

TaeHun_Kim(35+10).pdf

15:45 → 16:45 Coffee & Discussion

16:45 → 17:30 Session 4

Convener: Jong-Chul Park

16:45 Self-Resonant Dark Matter and its Z4 realization

Speaker: Dr Seongsik Kim (Chungnam National University)

2026 Jan ATCTP_SSK_v2.pdf

17:30 → 19:00 Free discussion

Tuesday 6 January

09:00 → 10:00 Free discussion

10:00 → 11:00 Session 5

Convener: Prof. Seodong Shin (Jeonbuk National University)

10:00 Compact star as dark matter probe

Speaker: Prof. Motoko Fujiwara (University of Toyama)

260106-Motoko_Fujiwara.pdf

11:00 → 11:05 Conference photo

11:05 → 11:35 Coffee & Discussion

11:35 → 12:20 Session 6

Convener: Prof. Seodong Shin (Jeonbuk National University)

11:35 NEW PHYSICS SEARCHES IN ROCKS AND STARS

Speaker: Dr Audrey Fung (APCTP)

Slides_DMPNP_audrey.pdf

12:20 → 13:45 Lunch & DIscussion

13:45 → 14:45 Session 7

Convener: Prof. Chan Beom Park (Chonnam National University)

13:45 Where Dark-Sector Physics Intersects at Muon Colliders

Speaker: Prof. Doojin Kim (University of South Dakota)

Presentation_ATCTP_DoojinKim.pptx

14:45 → 15:45 Coffee & Discussion

15:45 → 16:30 Session 8

Convener: Prof. Doojin Kim (University of South Dakota)

15:45 Quantum Entanglement at High Energy Colliders

Speaker: Dr Dong Woo Kang (Jeonbuk National University)

DMPNP2026_DWK.pdf

16:30 → 17:00 Coffee & Discussion

17:00 → 17:30 Student session1

Convener: Doojin Kim (University of South Dakota)

17:00 Investigating the Invisible Higgs Coupling at a Muon Collider

Speaker: Mr Yongik Jang (Kyungpook National University)

2026_DMPNP_Jang.pdf

17:30 → 19:30 Free discussion

Wednesday 7 January

09:00 → 10:00 Free discussion

10:00 → 10:45 Session 9

Convener: Dr Shohei Okawa (APCTP)

10:00 Early Causal Tensors: universal B-modes and SGWB constraints on dark-sector dynamics

A broad variety of non-inflationary, causal mechanisms are expected to generate tensor perturbations in the early Universe, including first-order phase transitions and cosmic defects. Such dynamics are common in many dark-sector models beyond the cold dark matter paradigm. While the microphysical details differ, as long as they are bounded in duration and correlation scale, all such Early Causal Tensor sources (ECTs) share a causality-limited scaling of the tensor power spectrum at super-horizon scales. Therefore, all ECTs predict a universal shape for the B-mode angular power spectrum, as well as for the low-frequency regime of the stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB). By utilizing current limits on ECT amplitudes from B-mode and SGWB observations, we place broad, model-agnostic bounds on gravitationally coupled dark-sector models at low energies.

Speaker: Dr Kylar Greene (Seoul National University)

ECT-Kylar.pdf

10:45 → 18:45 Free discussion

Thursday 8 January

09:00 → 10:00 Free discussion

10:00 → 11:00 Session 10

Convener: Seokhoon Yun (IBS-CTPU)

10:00 Accreting axion stars in our galaxy: parametric resonance and bosenova

Speaker: Dr Hyeonseok Seong (HKUST)

Accreting axion stars in our galaxy - parametric resonance and bosenova.pdf

11:00 → 11:05 Conference photo

11:05 → 11:35 Coffee & Discussion

11:35 → 12:20 Session 11

Convener: Seokhoon Yun (IBS-CTPU)

11:35 Quality of the Extra-dimensional Axion

Speaker: Prof. Chang Sub Shin (Chungnam National University)

20260108_DMpNP_ChangSubShin.pdf

12:20 → 13:45 Lunch & Discussion

13:45 → 14:45 Session 12

Convener: Chang Sub Shin (Chungnam National University)

13:45 Topological defects in multi-axion dynamics

Speaker: Dr Kai Murai (Tohoku University)

DMPNP2026_Murai_MultiAxionDefects.pdf

14:45 → 15:45 Coffee & Discussion

15:45 → 16:30 Session 13

Convener: Prof. Kyu Jung Bae (Kyungpook National University)

15:45 Probing Heavy Dark Matter in Red Giants

Speaker: Dr Seokhoon Yun (IBS-CTPU)

DMPNP2026_S.Yun_08.01.26.pdf

16:30 → 17:00 Coffee & Discussion

17:00 → 17:30 Student session1: Student session 2

Convener: Kyu Jung Bae (Kyungpook National University)

17:00 Indirect detection of Dark Matter using cosmic-ray experiments

Speaker: Mr Sang Hwan Kim (Yonsei University)

Dark matter indirect detection using Fermi-LAT gamma-ray data_DMPNP_2026.pdf

17:30 → 19:30 Free discussion

Friday 9 January

08:30 → 09:30 Free discussion

09:30 → 10:30 Session 14

Convener: Prof. Seodong Shin (Jeonbuk National University)

09:30 Dark Photon Searches with Initial-State Radiation at Fixed-Target Configurations

Speaker: Dr Ui Min (TD Lee Institute)

DMPNP_UIMIN.pdf

10:30 → 11:10 Coffee & Discussion

11:10 → 11:55 Session 15

Convener: Chan Beom Park (Chonnam National University)

11:10 Taming the dark photon production via a non-minimal coupling to gravity

Speaker: Dr Jong-Hyun Yoon (Chungnam National University)

20260109_DMPNP2026_YOON.pdf

11:55 → 13:15 Lunch & Discussion

13:15 → 14:00 Session 16

Convener: Jong-Chul Park

13:15 Testing the dark origin of neutrino mass with supernova neutrinos

Speaker: Dr Chui-Fan Kong (IBS-CTPU)

KONG_APCTP_Workshop.pdf

14:00 → 14:10 Closing remark

Convener: Prof. Jong-Chul Park

14:00 Closing remarks

Speaker: Jong-Chul Park

Closing_2026.pptx

14:10 → 18:10 Free discussion