Itay Yavin

Research Interests

My research is in particle physics and is mainly concerned with the search for physics beyond the Standard Model. I am particularly interested in the problem of Electroweak symmetry breaking and the nature of dark matter. The origin of the Electroweak scale is one of the last unresolved problems in particle physics and is currently being vigorously pursued by several very large experiments in Fermilab as well as the Large Hadron Collider. With regard to dark matter, while it is yet unclear whether it is really a problem of basic particle physics, one possibility is that it is in fact a new fundamental particle. Indeed, it may even be deeply connected with the Electroweak scale itself.

Aside from my theoretical work, I am involved in several projects which are more experimental in nature. In particular, RECAST is a large project I have been developing together with Prof. Kyle Cranmer. It is a framework designed to facilitate the interactions between different members of high energy particle physics. Its aim is to allow further testing and considerations of alternative hypotheses in searches for new physics. You can find more details here www.recast.it. Over the past several months, great progress was made towards a functional implementation of the framework thanks to the generous support of the Perimeter Institute. A beta version of the site can be found here recast.perimeterinstitute.ca

For more information, please visit my homepage http://www.physics.mcmaster.ca/~yavin/index.html

For a current list of all my publications, please visit the following URL:
http://inspirehep.net/search?ln=en&p=yavin%2C+itay&action_search=Search

Positions Held

• Visiting Assistant Professor, John Hopkins University, March 2014.
• Assistant Professor, McMaster University Department of Physics and Astronomy, July 2011 - present.
• James Arthur Fellow, Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, New York University, Sept 2009 - July 2011.
• Research Associate, Princeton University Department of Physics, Sept 2006 - Aug 2009.

Awards

• SERB Early Researcher Award, McMaster University
• Individual Discovery Grant in Subatomic Physics, NSERC
• Early Career Researcher Award, NSERC
• James Arthur Fellowship, New York University
• Purcell Scholarship, Harvard University
• Member of Dean"s Honour Roll. Graduated first class with distinction, York University
• Recipient of Science Gold Medal of Pure and Applied Science Department, York University
• International Student Scholarship, York University
• Entrance scholarship, York University

Recent Publications

• E. Izaguirre, B. Shuve, and I. Yavin, A New Observable for Identifying Dijet Resonances, arXiv: 1407.7037 [hep-ph], sent to PRL.
• A. Altmannshofer, S. Gor, M. Pospelov, and I. Yavin, Neutrino Trident Production: A Powerful Probe of New Physics with Neutrino Beams, Phys.Rev.Lett. 113 (2014) 091801, [arXiv: 1406.2332 [hep-ph]].
• B. Shuve and I. Yavin, A Dark Matter Progenitor: Light Vector Boson Decay into (Sterile) Neutrinos, Phys.Rev. D89 (2014) 113004 [arXiv: 1403.2727 [hep-ph]]
• A. Altmannshofer, S. Gor, M. Pospelov, and I. Yavin, Dressing L_mu - L_tau in Color, Phys.Rev. D89 (2014) 095033 [arXiv: 1403.1269 [hep-ph]]
• B. Shuve and I. Yavin, Baryogenesis through Neutrino Oscillations: A Unified Perspective, Phys.Rev. D89 (2014) 075014 [arXiv: 1401.2459 [hep-ph]]
• M. Pospelov, N. Weiner, and I. Yavin, Dark matter detection in two easy steps, Phys.Rev. D89 (2014) 055008 [arXiv: 1312.1363 [hep-ph]]
• C. Tamarit and I. Yavin, The magnetic dipole moment of neutral particles from quantum corrections at two-loop order, Phys. Rev. D88 (2013) 3, 035017 [arXiv: 1305.2951 [hep-ph]]
• J. Liu, B. Shuve, N. Weiner, and I. Yavin, Looking for new charged states at the LHC: Signatures of Magnetic and Rayleigh Dark Matter, JHEP 1307 (2013) 144 [arXiv: 1303.4404 [hep-ph]]
• J. Pradler, B. Singh, and I. Yavin, On an unverified nuclear decay and its role in the DAMA experiment, Phys.Lett. B720 (2013) 399-404 [arXiv: 1210.5501 [hep-ph]]
• J. Pradler and I. Yavin, Addendum to 'On an unverified nuclear decay and its role in the DAMA experiment', Phys.Lett. B723 (2013) 168-171 [arXiv: 1210.7548 [hep-ph]]
• N. Weiner and I. Yavin, UV Completions of Magnetic Inelastic Dark Matter and RayDM for the Fermi Line(s), Phys. Rev. D87 (2013) 023523 [arXiv: 1209.1093 [hep-ph]]
• N. Weiner and I. Yavin, How Dark Are Majorana WIMPs? Signals from MiDM and Rayleigh Dark Matter, Phys.Rev. D86 (2012) 075021 [arXiv: 1206.2910 [hep-ph]]
• N. Toro and I. Yavin, Multiphotons and photon jets from new heavy vector bosons, Phys.Rev. D86 (2012) 055005 [arXiv: 1202.6377 [hep-ph]]
• S. Chang, J. Pradler and I. Yavin, Statistical Tests of Noise and Harmony in Dark Matter Modulation Signals, Phys. Rev. D 85, 063505 (2012) [arXiv: 1111.4222 [hep-ph]]
• J. Fan, D. Krohn, P. Langacker and I. Yavin, A Higgsophilic s-channel Z" and the CDF W+2J Anomaly, Phys. Rev. D 84, 105012 (2011) [arXiv: 1106.1682 [hep-ph]]
• C. de Rham, G. Gabadadze, D. Pirtskhalava, A. J. Tolley and I. Yavin, Nonlinear Dynamics of 3D Massive Gravity, JHEP 1106, 028 (2011) [arXiv: 1103.1351 [hep-th]]
• D. Tucker-Smith and I. Yavin, Muonic hydrogen and MeV forces, Phys. Rev. D 83, 101702 (2011) [arXiv: 1011.4922 [hep-ph]]
• K. Cranmer and I. Yavin, RECAST: Extending the Impact of Existing Analyses, JHEP 1104, 038 (2011) [arXiv: 1010.2506 [hep-ex]]
• B. Barret, I. Yavin, S. Beattie, and S. Kumarakrishnan, Numerical simulation of a multilevel atom interferometer, Phys. Rev. A 82, 023625 (2010) [arXiv: 1008.4426 [physics.atom-ph]]
• S. Chang, N. Weiner and I. Yavin, Magnetic Inelastic Dark Matter, Phys. Rev. D 82, 125011 (2010) [arXiv: 1007.4200 [hep-ph]]
• S. Chang, J. Liu, A. Pierce, N. Weiner and I. Yavin, CoGeNT Interpretations, JCAP 1008, 018 (2010) [arXiv: 1004.0697 [hep-ph]]
• S. Schael et al. [ALEPH Collaboration], Search for neutral Higgs bosons decaying into four taus at LEP2, JHEP 1005, 049 (2010) [arXiv: 1003.0705 [hep-ex]]
• P. Schuster, N. Toro, N. Weiner and I. Yavin, High Energy Electron Signals from Dark Matter Annihilation in the Sun, Phys. Rev. D 82, 115012 (2010) [arXiv: 0910.1839 [hep-ph]]
• P. Schuster, N. Toro and I. Yavin, Terrestrial and Solar Limits on Long-Lived Particles in a Dark Sector, Phys. Rev. D 81, 016002 (2010) [arXiv: 0910.1602 [hep-ph]]
• C. Cheung, J. T. Ruderman, L. T. Wang and I. Yavin, Lepton Jets in (Supersymmetric) Electroweak Processes, JHEP 1004, 116 (2010) [arXiv: 0909.0290 [hep-ph]]
• S. Beattie, B. Barret, I. Chan, C. Mok, I. Yavin, and S. Kumarakrishnan, Atom-Interferometric Studies of Light Scattering, Phys. Rev. A 80, 013618 (2009)
• S. Nussinov, L. T. Wang and I. Yavin, Capture of Inelastic Dark Matter in the Sun, JCAP 0908, 037 (2009) [arXiv: 0905.1333 [hep-ph]]
• D. P. Finkbeiner, T. R. Slatyer, N. Weiner and I. Yavin, PAMELA, DAMA, INTEGRAL and Signatures of Metastable Excited WIMPs, JCAP 0909, 037 (2009) [arXiv: 0903.1037 [hep-ph]]
• C. Cheung, J. T. Ruderman, L. T. Wang and I. Yavin, Kinetic Mixing as the Origin of Light Dark Scales, Phys. Rev. D 80, 035008 (2009) [arXiv: 0902.3246 [hep-ph]]
• S. Beattie, B. Barret, I. Chan, C. Mok, I. Yavin, and S. Kumarakrishnan, Technique for Measuring Atomic Recoil Frequency Using Coherence Functions, Phys. Rev. A 79, 021605 (2009)
• M. Baumgart, C. Cheung, J. T. Ruderman, L. T. Wang and I. Yavin, Non-Abelian Dark Sectors and Their Collider Signatures, JHEP 0904, 014 (2009) [arXiv: 0901.0283 [hep-ph]]
• P. Langacker, G. Paz and I. Yavin, Scalar Potentials and Accidental Symmetries in Supersymmetric U(1)" Models, Phys. Lett. B 671, 245 (2009) [arXiv: 0811.1196 [hep-ph]]
• D. Krohn and I. Yavin, Anomalies In Fermionic Uv Completions Of Little Higgs Models, JHEP 0806, 092 (2008) [arXiv: 0803.4202 [hep-ph]]
• L. T. Wang and I. Yavin, A Review of Spin Determination at the LHC, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 23, 4647 (2008) [arXiv: 0802.2726 [hep-ph]]
• P. Langacker, G. Paz, L. T. Wang and I. Yavin, Aspects of Z"-mediated Supersymmetry Breaking, Phys. Rev. D 77, 085033 (2008) [arXiv: 0801.3693 [hep-ph]]
• H. Verlinde, L. T. Wang, M. Wijnholt and I. Yavin, A Higher Form (of) Mediation, JHEP 0802, 082 (2008) [arXiv: 0711.3214 [hep-th]]
• P. Langacker, G. Paz, L. T. Wang and I. Yavin, Z"-mediated Supersymmetry Breaking, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 041802 (2008) [arXiv: 0710.1632 [hep-ph]]
• C. Kilic, L. T. Wang and I. Yavin, On the Existence of Angular Correlations in Decays with Heavy Matter Partners, JHEP 0705, 052 (2007) [arXiv: hep-ph/0703085]
• P. Langacker, G. Paz, L. T. Wang and I. Yavin, A T-odd observable sensitive to CP violating phases in squark decay, JHEP 0707, 055 (2007) [arXiv: hep-ph/0702068]
• L. T. Wang and I. Yavin, Spin Measurements in Cascade Decays at the LHC, JHEP 0704, 032 (2007) [arXiv: hep-ph/0605296]
• J. Gallicchio and I. Yavin, Curvature as a remedy or discretizing gravity in warped dimensions, JHEP 0605, 079 (2006) [arXiv: hep-th/0507105]
• J. Thaler and I. Yavin, The littlest Higgs in anti-de Sitter space, JHEP 0508, 022 (2005) [arXiv: hep-ph/0501036]
• T. Rudolph, I. Yavin, and H. Freedhoff, Evolution in time of an N-atom system. II. Calculation of the eigenstates, Phys. Rev. A 69, 013815 (2004) [arXiv: quant-ph/0206067]
• I. Yavin, M. Weel, A. Andreyuk, and A. Kumarakrishnan, A Calculation of the Time of Flight Distribution of Trapped Atoms, Am. J. Phys. 70, 149 (2002)
• J. L. Hewett, H. Weerts, R. Brock, J. N. Butler, B. C. K. Casey, J. Collar, A. de Govea and R. Essig et al., Fundamental Physics at the Intensity Frontier, arXiv: 1205.2671 [hep-ex]
• Z. Akopov et al. [DPHEP Study Group Collaboration], Status Report of the DPHEP Study Group: Towards a Global Effort for Sustainable Data Preservation in High Energy Physics, arXiv: 1205.4667 [hep-ex]
• D. Alves et al. [LHC New Physics Working Group Collaboration], Simplified Models for LHC New Physics Searches, arXiv: 1105.2838 [hep-ph]
• International Conference of Particle and Nuclear, PANIC 2011, Hiding the Higgs boson, AIP Conf. Proc. 1441, 746 (2012)

Seminars

• "Dark Matter as a fundamental particle", Colloquium in UC Davis, Oct 27, 2014.
• "New Ideas for searches of the Standard Model, Dark Matter, and beyond in Run-II of the LHC", Seminar, Wayne State University, Sep 24, 2014
• "New Ideas for searches of the Standard Model, Dark Matter, and beyond in Run-II of the LHC", Workshop on Dark Matter search strategies for LHC Run 2, Michigan University, Sep 22, 2014
• "A Powerful Probe of New Neutrino Currents", Probing the TeV scale and beyond, Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics, Germany, July 18, 2014.
• "Review of Particle Theory Canada", IPP Town-Hall Meeting, Laurentian University, ON, June 16, 2014.
• "DAMA and MiDM",Harvard-Smithsonian Symposium: Debates on the Nature of Dark Matter, Harvard University, MA, May 19-22, 2014.
• "Review of simplified models for missing energy searches", Seminar, CERN (remote), May 15, 2014.
• "Beyond the Standard Model", ATLAS Canada Meeting, McGill University, QC, May 27, 2014.
• "Baryogenesis, Dark Matter, and Sterile Neutrinos", Seminar, the Johns Hopkins University, Mar 4, 2014.
• "Hidden Sectors", Exotics Workshop, Eilot, Israel, Feb 5-9, 2014.
• "The Proton Radius Puzzle", Colloquium, McMaster University, Jan 8, 2014.
• "Looking into the darkness", Colloquium, University of Alberta, Jan 24, 2014.
• "The Proton Radius Puzzle", Colloquium, Brock University, Dec 3, 2013.
• "RayDM and MiDM", Lattice meets experiment 2013 Workshop, Brookhaven National Lab, USA, Dec 5-6, 2013.
• "Looking into the darkness", Colloquium, University of Victoria, Dec 12, 2013
• "Experiments looking for Dark Matter", Cosmology at Colliders Workshop, TRIUMF National Lab, Vancouver, Dec 9-11, 2013.
• "Magnetic and Rayleigh Dark Matter", Seminar, Harvard University, Oct 25, 2013.
• SEARCH, Stony Brook University, NY, Aug 20-22, 2013.
• "Magnetic and Rayleigh Dark Matter", Cosmic-Rays and Photons from Dark Matter Annihilation, Mainz, Germany, June 29 - July 2, 2013. Plenary speaker.
• "How dark is Dark Matter", CAP Congress 2013, Montreal, May 27 - May 31, 2013.
• "What is (Dark) Matter made of", Sherbrooke University, Mar 20, 2013. CAP lecture tour.
• "What is (Dark) Matter made of", Bishop University, Mar 20, 2013. CAP lecture tour.
• "What is (Dark) Matter made of", Ecole Polytechnique de Montral, Mar 21, 2013. CAP lecture tour.
• "Dark Matter and Particle Physics", Winter Nuclear and Particle Physics Conference, Banff, Canada, Feb 17, 2013. Plenary speaker.
• "Recent development in the search for Dark Matter", TRIUMF, Feb 14, 2013. Colloquium.
• "The search for Dark Matter interactions with matter", Queen"s University Physics Department, Jan 18, 2013. Colloquium.
• "How dark is Dark Matter", UC Davis, Jan 25, 2013. Seminar.
• "On the annual modulations in direct-detection experiments and the DAMA results", Aspen Winter Conference on Dark Matter, Aspen, USA, Jan 29, 2013. Plenary speaker.
• "How dark is Dark Matter", Stanford University, Jan 24, 2013. Seminar.
• The Proton Radius Puzzle, Trento, Italy, Oct 29 - Nov 2, 2012. Plenary speaker.
• Interpreting emerging Higgs data, Oregon University, Apr 4-6, 2012. Plenary speaker.
• SEARCH Workshop, University of Maryland, Mar 17-19, 2012. Participant.
• "Statistical Tests in Dark Matter Modulations Signals", University of Toronto, Mar 12, 2012
• "Statistical Tests in Dark Matter Modulations Signals", Berkeley, Mar 9, 2012.
• Tools for BSM, Cornell University, Mar 22-24, 2012. Plenary speaker.
• Lake Louise Winter Institute, Lake Louise, Feb 19-25, 2012. Plenary speaker.
• TRIUMF Workshop on LHC, Vancouver, Dec 14-16, 2011. Plenary speaker.
• "RECAST", McGill University, Dec 6, 2011.
• "Faster than light neutrinos?", York University, Nov 11, 2011.
• "Statistical Tests in Dark Matter Modulations Signals", Carleton University, Nov 29, 2011.
• 19th Particle and Nuclei International Conference, MIT, Jul 24-29, 2011. Parallel session.
• Boost 2011, Princeton University, May 22 - 26, 2011. Plenary Speaker.
• Higgs @ Tevatron and LHC, UW, Apr 26-30, 2011. Plenary speaker.
• 11. SUSY RECAST, UC Davis, Apr 8-9, 2011. Plenary speaker.
• "Very Weak Interactions", Heidelberg Universita ̈t Physics Department, Mar 1, 2011.
• "Very Weak Interactions", Maryland Center for Fundamental Physics, Mar 7, 2011.
• "Very Weak Interactions", McMaster University Physics Department, Feb 14, 2011.
• "Very Weak Interactions", UC San-Diego Physics Department, Feb 8, 2011.
• "Very Weak Interactions", Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stony Brook University, Feb 21, 2011.
• "Very Weak Interactions", Princeton University, Feb 1, 2011.
• "Very Weak Interactions", Rutgers University, Jan 25, 2011.