Overview

This is the 1st UNDARK workshop, to be held in the  Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) during 29 September - 3 October 2025. This workshop will focus on astrophysical probes of fundamental questions related to the dark universe, with a specific emphasis on radio wave observations, as well as their possible connections with gravitational wave detection. The meeting is organized in the context of the UNDARK project and it aligns with the observational and instrumental expertise of the IAC in microwave astronomy, including experiments such as QUIJOTE, TMS, LSPE-STRIP, and GroundBIRD.   

Topics of Discussion

The workshop will cover a range of cutting-edge topics in radio astronomy and their implications for dark sector physics, including:

• Investigating anomalous low-frequency radio backgrounds and their potential connection to dark matter.

• Fast radio bursts and pulsar timing as probes of dark-matter and compact objects. 

• Spectral distortions of the cosmic microwave background as probes of the dark sector.

• 21 cm signal as probes of the early universe and dark matter interactions.  

• Observations of compact objects including supermassive black holes and implications for new physics.  

• Status and capabilities for new-physics of current (e.g. LOFAR, EHT, ALMA, ...) and upcoming radiowave facilities (e.g. SKAO, …).
   

This workshop aims to bring together leading researchers in radio astronomy, cosmology, astrophysics, and particle physics to discuss recent advancements, ongoing projects, and future directions in the search for the dark sector of the universe. 

UNDARK is funded through the  Widening participation and spreading excellence  programme (project number 101159929), which is part of the  European Research Area  (ERA) Policy Agenda and aims to harmonise research and innovation (R&I) capacities among all EU countries.