Posts | Luca Visinelli

Neutrino masses from dark matter interactions?

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 10:11:33 +0000

Many articles have recently discussed the role of dark matter interactions as the origin of neutrino masses. This hypothesis can be practically tested in view of data from baseline and solar neutrino experiments, such as KamLAND. With Hong-Yi Zhang and Andrew Cheek, two postdocs at the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute (TDLI), we have proceeded in this direction and carefully assessed the hypothesis. We found that current neutrino data strongly disfavors this scenario, especially when accounting for both temporal and spatial modulations of the dark matter field. Our work, recently published in Physical Review Letters, sets new bounds on this class of models and helps sharpen the search for the true origin of neutrino mass.

The preprint has recently received attention from Phys.org, which has covered the article in a popular science blog which is available at https://phys.org/news/2025-07-neutrino-masses-interactions-dark.html. See also the press released by TDLI here: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/nCmDFHN5hIirzIvGPKIwNg.

Novel constraints on fifth forces and ultralight dark sector with asteroidal data

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 08:09:15 +0000

In 2107.04038, my collaborators and myself have explored a novel idea: can high-quality asteroid data be used to constrain light bosons mediating a fifth force? This concept has been vastly covered by the lead author, Yu-Dai Tsai, in a Youtube interview available HERE.

The preprint has been now published in JCAP (2023), with the updated version appearing on the arXiv preprint service. In the meantime, we are working on extending the collaboration to include asteroid data analysis experts and refine the search in future publications.

Cambridge press release: have we detected dark energy?

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 16:26:46 +0000

My recently paper with Sunny Vagnozzi, Philippe Brax, Anne-Christine Davis, and Jeremy Sakstein on the bold idea that a model of dark energy could be responsible for the excess reported by the XENON-1T collaboration is now published on Physical Review D. The arXiv preprint is available at this link.

Our work has been covered by a press release of the University of Cambridge (home of Dr. Vagnozzi and Prof. Davis), which is found at this link.

More on the work is in my previous entry here.

Can we detect dark energy in the lab?

Sun, 25 Jul 2021 07:14:33 +0000

Last year (June 2020), there has been a lot of excitement and speculation around the excess reported by the XENON-1T collaboration, which could be attributed to new physics such as the axion. I recently worked on the bold idea that a specific model of dark energy could have caused such an excess. My work with Sunny Vagnozzi, Philippe Brax, Anne-Christine Davis, and Jeremy Sakstein is available on ArXiv at this link. More excitingly, the model would be in reach of future experiments such as XENON-nT and PandaX.

The preprint has recently received attention from Space.com, which has covered the article in a popular science blog which is available at https://www.space.com/dark-energy-experiments-on-earth

The research article by the XENON-1T collaboration on the reported excess can be found here.

Media coverage of "Constraints on Stupendously Large Black Holes"

Sun, 09 May 2021 10:38:49 +0000

My work with Bernard Carr (Emeritus, Queen Mary University of London) and Florian Kühnel (Münich) on black holes is ranked #128 in all time media coverage of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society outputs.

The published version of the paper is available on Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 501 (2) 2029–2043 (2021).

Preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.08077; Press release of Queen Mary University of London here.

Link to Altmetric webpage.

Scientists find black holes could reach "stupendously large" sizes

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 11:36:06 +0000

A recent press coverage by Queen Mary University of London has focused on my work on black holes https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.08077.

In the press coverage available here my collaborator Bernard Carr of Queen Mary discusses in depth the outcome of our study and future projects. The paper has been recently published on Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 501 (2) 2029–2043 (2021).

Non-Gaussianity from SM Higgs modulating inflaton decay

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 10:31:09 +0000

In two recent preprints ( 2011.11649, 2009.14218), together with Aliki Litsa, Katherine Freese, Evangelos Sfakianakis, & Patrick Stengel, we discuss non-Gaussianity arising in the reheating process when the Higgs field modulates inflaton decay. This process is expected to arise even within a minimal Standard Model + inflaton setup and can be readily tested with upcoming probes, as we discuss at length in the preprints. This important work has been covered in great detail in https://www.sunnyvagnozzi.com/blog/top-arxiv-week-48-2020

Axion miniclusters and neutron stars

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 07:59:30 +0000

In two recent preprints available here ( 2011.05377, 2011.05378), I have shown together with my colleagues Bradley Kavanagh, Thomas Edwards, and Christoph Weniger, that an encounter between a neutron star and an axion minicluster would lead to a transient radio signal in the sky, which is potentially detectable. It took us 15 months to deliver the required code, which is available at https://github.com/bradkav/axion-miniclusters/. This immense work has been covered in great detail here: https://www.sunnyvagnozzi.com/blog/top-arxiv-week-46

Black Holes and WIMPs blog coverage

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 15:00:18 +0000

My work on the interplay of black holes and WIMPs with Bernard Carr and Florian Kuhnel, available here ( arXiv:2011.01930), has been covered in depth as one of the best papers of last week here: https://www.sunnyvagnozzi.com/blog/top-arxiv-week-45

'Stupendously large' black holes could grow to truly monstrous sizes

Sun, 27 Sep 2020 17:11:59 +0000

Coverage of my work on Primordial Black Holes in https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.08077 appeared last week on space.com website here:

https://www.space.com/black-holes-can-reach-stupendously-large-sizes.html

Black holes – Do they grow stupendously large?

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 19:08:42 +0000

Coverage on popular science blog: https://astrobites.org/2020/09/05/stupendously-large-black-holes/

From my work on Primordial Black Holes in https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.08077

Interview on XENON for Il Messaggero (in Italian)

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 19:35:34 +0000

Interview for Il Messaggero (Italian newspaper with national coverage) on the XENON excess discovery in June 2020!

https://www.ilmessaggero.it/scienza/gran_sasso_esperimento_visinelli_18_giugno_2020-5295285.html

Interview on Dark Matter

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 19:53:06 +0000

I have been interviewed by Il Messaggero, an Italian newspaper of national coverage, on the purpose of science, the profession of a physicist, and more specifically on the mystery of the dark matter here: https://www.ilmessaggero.it/scienza

Interview with LUCA VISINELLI at Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm

Fri, 07 Sep 2018 19:04:01 +0000

The interview I gave for public outreach at Oskar Klein Centre is available at https://ssl.fysik.su.se/okc/internal/blog/interview-with-luca-visinelli/