Hongwan Liu

Hongwan Liu is an Assistant Professor at Boston University, specializing in cosmology, astroparticle physics, and high-energy physics. Their research focuses on uncovering physics beyond the Standard Model by exploring connections between microscopic particle interactions and large-scale cosmic phenomena. They hold a Ph.D. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Research Interests:
Hongwan's work bridges particle physics and cosmology, particularly investigating how unseen forces and particles at microscopic scales affect cosmic structures. Key areas include dark matter physics, cosmic microwave background (CMB) analysis, early universe dynamics, and the interplay between exotic energy injections and cosmological observations. They employ both theoretical frameworks and computational simulations to explore these topics.

Publications Trends:
Recent work emphasizes constraints on dark photon dark matter using Lyman-α forest data, CMB spectral distortions from light dark matter, and synergies between cosmic microwave background and big bang nucleosynthesis. Their research also develops tools like LINX for precision cosmology and explores observational signatures of dark matter in radio and 21-cm signals.

Labs & Collaboration:
Affiliated with Boston University's cosmology group, Hongwan collaborates on projects involving hydrodynamical simulations, dark matter detection strategies, and interdisciplinary methods combining astrophysics with particle physics.