Non-thermal emission represents a crucial tool in the comprehension of the high-energy sky. Yet, mysterious excesses exist. Among them, the Fermi GeV excess and the 511 keV line emission still lack a definitive explanation and might thus point towards new sources and/or emission mechanisms. I plan to conclusively test the hypothesis that these two emissions arise from faint point-source populations, linked to binary systems in the Galactic bulge, with a new multi-wavelength analysis. I will use gravitational wave signatures as further leverage in the modelling of Galactic binaries, and thus probe the synergy of the high-energy sky with this new observational window for the first time. My research will also sharpen our diagnostic capabilities on dark matter and boost the discovery potential of future searches building on the new techniques developed. The characterisation of point-source populations in the bulge will be a leap forward in high-energy astrophysics and Galactic astronomy.

A whole body of data on B-meson decays display persistent deviations from Standard-Model (SM) predictions. These data constitute the single, coherent array of deviations from the SM, and in a set of processes historically sensitive to new effects. Most remarkably, data seem to sit always on a given side with respect to the SM prediction. These data clearly need be scrutinised exploiting the full LHC dataset from Run 2 and beyond. On the theory side, these data find a cogent explanation within an Effective-Theory framework, that per se constitutes a non-trivial result. However, a full-fledged theory able to explain at the same time these anomalies and the absence of deviations in many related datasets poses a major challenge. It is clear that appropriate experimental input will be crucial to improve the theory understanding. In these circumstances we can neither dismiss the possibility that these anomalies are indeed heralding new effects, nor the alternative possibility of a mundane explanation, for example experimental systematic effects that have hitherto escaped consideration. This project proposes a strategy towards telling apart these two possibilities. This strategy is based on the detailed investigation of a suitable process, from theory aspects to a complete analysis. The process we will consider is the rare, radiative decay Bs -> mu mu gamma, measured using the Bs -> mu mu dataset, i.e. without detection of the photon. This method, put forth in Dettori, Guadagnoli, Reboud, PLB 768 (2017) 163–167 (Ref. [1]), merges the advantages of both decays: we exploit the rich and ever increasing Bs -> mu mu dataset as a proxy for Bs -> mu mu gamma, which probes the mentioned discrepancies more thoroughly, due to the presence of the final-state photon. In addition, the radiative nature of the decay allows, while probing new physics, to probe, at the same time, certain crucial sources of systematics, notably from QED, as an alternative explanation of the anomalies. As a consequence, the project tasks leading to the measurement will amount to litmus tests of the anomalies. Concretely, the project will accomplish 4 groups of objectives: (a) confirm/disprove the present theory picture of the anomalies, using a novel, independent decay channel never measured so far. In doing so, the project will (b) deliver the first measurement (ever) of this channel. Besides, we will (c) carry out a systematic theoretical study of QED corrections to the process in the very kinematical region accessed by our experimental method. This objective will provide a non-trivial test of the understanding of QED effects in a region where they are intertwined with QCD dynamics. Finally, the comparison between the calculated and the measured spectrum will allow to (d) confirm/disprove that certain critical sources of systematic uncertainties in the discrepant measurements are indeed well understood. All of these 4 groups of objectives include theoretical and experimental facets, intertwined with one another. The tasks towards these objectives will be carried out in a ‘hybrid’ collaboration of theorists and experimentalists. This team has a collaborative record proven by the co-supervision of PhD students as well as by articles, including the `method paper' underlying the project itself, Ref. [1]. Our consortium will also ensure a constant feedback between the theory and experimental facets of the implementation, including theory oversight on specific aspects of the experimental analysis proposed. The project's success rests on appropriate human resources: a PhD student, co-supervised within our team, and a 3-year postdoc with expertise on effective-theory approaches to flavour observables, on the calculation of photon-inclusive decay distributions, and possibly their coding for experimental applications.

The lambda cold dark matter (LCDM) scenario implies the structuring of DM on subgalactic scales. This may lead to tensions with observational constraints known as the core-cusp and subhalo problems, while this could also help discover or exclude DM particle candidates. The Milky Way (MW) is a perfect laboratory to study these issues, as some stellar surveys are probing its dynamics to unprecedented accuracy and as many DM search experiments are currently running. This project brings together an interdisciplinary task force to develop semi-analytic methods so as to feature and constrain the MW DM distribution in phase space with extensive tests against numerical simulations, with the goal of making an extensive an self-consistent interpretation of novel data from the Gaia satellite (second data release - DR2 - expected in April 2018). These unprecedented high-precision data are expected to be game changing in the current understanding of the DM distribution in the MW. We will also study the impact of the DM graininess, including effects on stellar streams. We will then revise the predictions for DM searches with reduced theoretical errors (multimessenger astronomy, direct searches, gravitational searches, etc.), and eventually explore alternatives to CDM.

MERYT project aims to build an accurate, complex and multi-technical absolute chronological model for the Egyptian Old Kingdom (~3000-2400 BCE), through an integrated approach bringing together all the analytical criteria of Egyptology, Archaeology and Archaeometry. As part of an interdisciplinary approach to integrative archaeology, it addresses two major issues: 1) To develop a definitive chronological framework of the Egyptian Old Kingdom, reign by reign, by building a statistical model reconciling Egyptological and analytical data; 2) To adapt the 14C IntCal calibration curve considering the specific environmental conditions in Egypt in order to make the 14C dating method more competitive for this geographical area. Supported by the Ifao archaeometry department and a consortium of Egyptologists, archaeologists, archaeometers, curators, physicists and statisticians, this project involves seven research units (Ifao, Orient&Méditerranée, Monaris, APC, LAPTH, MNHN, LMC14) and is divided into four investigation axes. Historical: for each of the ca. 30 reigns, we will re-evaluate all available chronometric evidence from archaeological, historical and textual sources in order to identify all the reign certificates and assess their reliability. Confronted with recent archaeological fieldwork, these data will make it possible to establish different possible relative chronological schemes. Archaeometrical: a database of more than hundred 14C dates will be compiled on samples from archaeological sites currently excavated and collected in a closed context. These analyses will be carried out in the only operating dating laboratory in Egypt, for which the project leader is responsible. Beyond "dating", the challenge will also be to ensure that the analyzed sample is consistent with the associated archaeological event. To do this, we will above all focus on sampling "good" specimens and clearly identifying the associated archaeological context. 14C dating will be the main analytical technique involved in the project, but all archaeometrical fields will be mobilized. Methodological: a major challenge will be to check the applicability of the 14C IntCal13 calibration curve to Egypt and, if necessary, to determine regional offsets. Possible observed discrepancies to IntCal could indeed be explained by seasonal variations in the 14CO2 content in the atmosphere, linked to the particular environmental conditions caused by the annual flooding of the Nile before the construction of the High Dam. To identify these possible offsets, we will first assess the residual 14C ratio of botanical specimens conserved in the MNHN Herbarium, collected during the French military expedition in Egypt in 1798-1801, whose year and location of harvest are documented. We will extend this study to Graeco-Roman and Arabic papyri whose year of writing is mentioned in the text, in order to estimate whether the differences observed in the 19th century were constant over time. Statistics: all the heterogeneous constraints (relative and absolute) deduced from the three previous axes will finally be combined in a strong chronological model based on a solid statistical formalism. Entirely produced by the MERYT consortium, this final model will simulate ages densities and precise estimates of their uncertainties for each reign of the Old Kingdom. MERYT will set the first absolute holistic chronology of the Egyptian Old Kingdom, reaching a consensus between Egyptologists and archaeometrists. Its impact will go far beyond Egyptology but will also, in the long term, affect our chronological knowledge of eastern Mediterranean civilizations of the 3rd millennium, largely based on Egyptian chronology, strongly highlighting the contribution of analytical and modelling approaches to archaeological research.