Dark Matter and Disk-Halo Interaction in the Milky Way

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY

Investigators

Abstract

When we look at the Universe, we see stars, planets, black holes, neutron stars, and the gas and dust between them. All of this is made from normal matter. Astronomers believe that for every pound of normal matter, there are five or six pounds of something called dark matter. We only know about dark matter by its gravitational attraction to the normal matter that we see. The investigators seek to discover where that dark matter is in our own Milky Way galaxy. If investigators can find spots were the stars in the Milky Way are jostled in predicted ways, they will learn how dark matter interacts with regular matter. To find the location of dark matter, the investigators will study the motions of stars from smaller galaxies that are falling into the Milky Way, and the motions in the Milky Way disk, which is the part of our galaxy that includes the spiral arms. These stars will be pulled towards the dark matter, which will make it possible for identify the dark matter location and concentration. In addition to providing researchers with constraints on dark matter in the Universe, the investigators will directly contribute to education at all levels. Graduate and undergraduate students will learn how to conduct research. They will connect with the public through open houses at the campus observatory, by helping to train high school students who will staff open houses at a local science museum, and by interacting with more than 15,000 people around the world who voluntarily contribute their computers to help the researchers do calculations. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.