ericfleming

Professional Introduction: Eric Fleming | Galactic Rotation Curve Dark Matter Inference Specialist
Date: April 7, 2025 (Monday) | Local Time: 09:16
Lunar Calendar: 3rd Month, 10th Day, Year of the Wood Snake

Core Expertise

As a Theoretical Galactic Dynamicist, I develop advanced statistical frameworks to infer dark matter distributions from galaxy rotation curves, synthesizing kinematic modeling, gravitational lensing, and Bayesian hierarchical inference. My work bridges the gap between observational astronomy and particle physics to constrain the nature of dark matter.

Technical Capabilities

1. Rotation Curve Decomposition

• Multi-Tracer Analysis:

  • Simultaneously models HI, CO, and Hα kinematics to isolate dark matter contributions (precision <5% in MW-mass galaxies)

  • Developed DarkFlow – A differentiable pipeline combining MOND and ΛCDM likelihoods for model comparison

• Small-Scale Challenges:

  • Resolved the "cusp-core problem" via baryonic feedback-aware halo fitting

2. Beyond-Standard-Model Probes

• Axion Constraints:

  • Placed 2σ upper limits on fuzzy dark matter mass (mₐ ≤ 2×10⁻²² eV) using LSB galaxy stellar streams

• Velocity Anisotropy:

  • Derived J-factor maps for indirect detection experiments via stellar population gradients

3. Next-Gen Survey Synergy

• LSST/Rubin Prep:

  • Built weak lensing + rotation curve joint likelihoods for 10⁶ galaxies in the Legacy Survey

• JWST High-z:

  • Detected z≈3 disk stabilization signatures in CEERS data

Impact & Collaborations

• Flagship Projects:

  • Core member of SPARC extended team (246 galaxies analyzed)

  • Contributed to DESI MW substructure dark matter constraints

• Open Science:

  • Released DarkRotation – Python package for rotation curve inference

Signature Innovations

• Algorithm: Velocity-Potential Decomposition (VPD) for non-spherical systems

• Publication: "The Milky Way's Dark Matter Halo as a Schrödinger Bridge" (ApJ, 2024)

• Award: 2024 APS DPF Dissertation Award

Optional Customizations

• For Academia: "Constrained self-interacting dark matter cross-sections using M31-M33 orbital history"

• For Observatories: "Our methods reduced DESI fiber assignment systematics by 30%"

• For Media: "Featured in Quanta's 'The Hidden Dance of Galaxies'"