Mark Gaskins

Mark Gaskins

Biography

Mark Anthony Gaskins is an Applied Physics student at North Carolina A&T State University with interests in computational physics, astrophysics, dark matter, and data-driven research. He is participating in the MIT Summer Research Program, where he is conducting theoretical astrophysics research on dark matter and the evolution of stellar structures in the Milky Way. Mark Anthony has also gained research experience at Duke University’s HIGS facility, where he participated in a nuclear physics experiment in a particle accelerator-based research environment. Outside of physics, he has worked as a software developer and educator, teaching programming and leadership through The Hidden Genius Project and developing AI-powered educational software with ScholarPrep Nation. Mark Anthony hopes to pursue graduate study and continue developing as a researcher. He is passionate about combining scientific research, technical problem-solving, and mentorship to advance discovery and support the next generation of STEM students.

Constraining Dark Matter with the Gaia Snail
Mark Anthony Gaskins II¹, Zeineb Mezghanni^2,3, Elliot Davies³ and Lina Necib^2,3
1Department of Physics, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
²Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
³Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dark matter (DM) provides the gravitational scaffolding for galaxy formation. Because it only interacts with baryonic matter through gravity, its properties must be inferred from its dynamical influence on stars. Data from the Gaia space mission revealed a spiral-shaped overdensity in the (z, vz) space of solar neighborhood disk stars in the Milky Way (MW), dubbed the Gaia Snail. This discovery is a signature of phase mixing following a gravitational disturbance caused by the passage of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy (Sgr). The open question of whether the type of DM affects Snail’s properties may help provide insight into the particle nature of DM. To connect DM physics to observable stellar motions, we create MW-like galaxies with a DM halo, a stellar disk, and a bulge using the GalIC code. We simulate the impact of a Sgr-like merger using GIZMO N-body simulations, reproducing the Snail in the stellar disk and comparing its evolution across DM self-interaction cross sections. Preliminary results show similar evolution across SIDM cross sections of 0.5-5.0 cm2/g, with typical action differences below 3% and vertical-period differences below 0.4%. This work can guide future modeling efforts to constrain dark matter physics using the Gaia Snail.