The LDMX Experiment
Prof. Dr. Ruth Pöttgen (Lund University, Sweden)

While dark matter constitutes the majority of the matter in the Universe, its potential particle nature is still unknown. Assuming thermal freeze-out in the early Universe, the observed amount of dark matter can be explained by the existence of particles with masses in the MeV - GeV range — if we allow for the existence of a new, low-mass force mediator. The sub-GeV mass range is to date much less explored experimentally than that of heavier thermal relics. It has, however, become a very active area of research over the past decade. One of the most promising experiments to explore this mass range is the Light Dark Matter eXperiment, a fixed-target experiment planned to make use of the 8 GeV electron beam at SLAC. This seminar will review the case for sub-GeV dark matter, introduce the LDMX experiment and give an overview of its current status and future prospects.