Dark Matter and Gamma-Ray Astronomy:

An Intersection of Astrophysics and Particle Physics

Date: 7-8 September 2026

Workshop venue: Kavli IPMU, Lecture Hall

Recent advances in gamma-ray astronomy are opening new opportunities to explore dark matter and related questions in particle physics. Observations across a broad energy range, from the MeV band with upcoming missions such as COSI, through the GeV band observed by Fermi, to the TeV and PeV regimes explored by ground-based observatories such as VERITAS, CTA, HAWC, and LHAASO, provide complementary windows onto the high-energy universe.

Dark matter remains one of the most important open questions at the intersection of astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics. Gamma-ray observations play a unique role in this context, as they can probe environments such as the Galactic Center, dwarf spheroidal galaxies, galaxy clusters, and the extragalactic gamma-ray background. At the same time, interpreting these observations requires close interaction between theory, observations, and instrumentation, including studies of astrophysical foregrounds, cosmic-ray propagation, source populations, and instrumental backgrounds.

This workshop, Dark Matter and Gamma-Ray Astronomy: An Intersection of Astrophysics and Particle Physics, aims to bring together researchers working on dark matter theory, particle physics, gamma-ray observations, cosmic-ray astrophysics, direct detection, and future instruments. The workshop will place particular emphasis on theoretical interpretation, model building, and the connection between gamma-ray observations and particle-physics scenarios for dark matter and related new physics. By bringing these perspectives together, the workshop aims to develop a common language between theory, observation, and instrumentation.

The workshop will be held primarily in person to encourage face-to-face discussions. The program will be centered on invited talks; however, contributed talks will also be solicited. Please note that the number of slots for contributed presentations is limited.

Key topics include:

• Various dark matter models, including axions/ALPs, WIMPs, and MeV-scale dark matter

• Qubit-based and other novel approaches to direct dark matter detection

• Gamma-ray observations from MeV to TeV and PeV energies

• Astrophysical searches for axions/ALPs using gamma-ray sources

• Cosmic-ray propagation and astrophysical foregrounds

• Optical constraints on dark matter distributions

• Connections between gamma-ray astronomy and accelerator-based studies

• Future gamma-ray instruments and observational strategies

Invited speakers:

• Koji Tsumura (Kyushu University)
• Motoko Fujiwara (Kyushu University)
• Shion Chen (Kyoto University)
• Shigeki Matsumoto (IPMU)
• Donggeun Tak (Kyung Hee University)
• Shotaro Abe (Kyoto University)
• Hiroki Yoneda (Kyoto University)
• Ellis Owen (RIKEN)
• Kohei Hayashi (National Institute of Technology, Sendai College)
• Tomohiro Inada (Kyushu University)
• Alex Kusenko (UCLA and Kavli IPMU)
• Volodymyr Takhistov(QUP, KEK)

Important Dates:

• Registration deadline for the conference: August 23, 2026
• Registration deadline for the contributed talks: July 31, 2026

Scientific Organizing Committee:

Yoshiyuki Inoue, Alex Kusenko, Shigeki Matsumoto, Tadayuki Takahashi, Naomi Tsuji, Koji Tsumura, Hiroki Yoneda

Local Organizing Committee:

Shigeki Matsumoto, Tadayuki Takahashi, Naomi Tsuji, Koji Tsumura, Hiroki Yoneda