Investigations on Dark Matter and Dark Energy

University Of Utah, Salt Lake City UT

Investigators

Abstract

The identification of dark matter and the understanding of dark energy are among the major open questions in physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. The research outlined in this proposal addresses the question of the nature of dark matter in the following ways: (1) understanding if and how the annihilation of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) affected the formation of the first stars in the universe; (2) connecting the mass and interaction properties of neutralino dark matter to the size of the smallest dark matter structures, which may be observable through gamma-ray emission; (3) computing the quantum radiative corrections necessary for a reliable evaluation of the density of multi-TeV neutralinos and their observable signals; (4) maintaining and upgrading the DarkSUSY code for neutralino dark matter calculations; (5) studying directional direct detection of WIMPs with the goal of extracting the maximum amount of information on the astrophysics of WIMPs; (6) examining the dark matter content of tidal streams in the Milky Way halo, with an eye on their possible detection. The broader educational component of this proposal is that the PI seeks to continue a very successful outreach program of public demonstrations on basic physics that has been taking place in collaboration with a local museum.