Investigations On The Nature Of Dark Matter

该奖项资助了犹他大学保罗·贡多罗教授的研究。几十年前，人们意识到，宇宙中星系的运动不能用可见星系、恒星和气体的引力来解释。一种新的看不见的暗物质被认为存在于星系内部和周围，并提供了缺失的引力。暗物质也出现在宇宙质量平衡的25%，这是通过对宇宙的膨胀率和宇宙微波辐射的研究确定的。贡多罗教授的研究旨在发现暗物质的本质。多年来，关于它的性质提出了许多理论：从永远不会点燃的微小黑洞和恒星，到被称为WIMP的亚原子粒子，或弱相互作用的大质量粒子。在这个项目中，贡多罗教授将继续研究WIMP的可能性，了解WIMP在第一批恒星形成中的作用，WIMP在地球上直接搜索的信息内容，以及在宇宙射线中探测WIMP副产品的发现潜力。作为对科学界的一项服务，贡多罗教授还将为维护和升级DarkSUSY软件包做出贡献，该软件包是研究WIMP暗物质的领先计算机程序。该项目还预计将产生重大的更广泛的影响。贡多罗教授将继续与当地一家博物馆合作，开展一项非常成功的基础物理公共演示外展项目。此外，该项目的更广泛的组成部分通过一门特别课程解决当地在科学教育和扫盲方面的情况，该课程与服务不足社区的本科生、大学和K-12学校合作。

This award funds the research of Professor Paolo Gondolo at the University of Utah.A few decades ago it was realized that the motions of galaxies within the universe could not be explained by the gravitational pull of visible galaxies, stars and gases. A new unseen dark matter is believed to exist within and around galaxies, and to provide the missing gravitational pull. Dark matter also appears as 25 percent of the mass balance of the cosmos as determined from studies of the expansion rate of the universe and of the cosmic microwave radiation. Professor Gondolo's research aims at discovering the nature of dark matter. Over the years, numerous theories were proposed as to its nature: from tiny black holes and stars that never ignited to subatomic particles named WIMPs, or Weakly Interacting Massive Particles. In this project, Professor Gondolo will continue to examine the WIMP possibility by understanding the role of WIMPs in the formation of the first stars, the informational content of WIMP direct searches on Earth, and the discovery potential of detecting WIMP by-products in cosmic rays. As a service to the scientific community, Professor Gondolo will also contribute to the maintenance and upgrade of the DarkSUSY software package, the leading computer program for studies of WIMP dark matter.This project also envisions to have significant broader impacts. Professor Gondolo will continue a very successful outreach program of public demonstrations on basic physics that has been taking place in collaboration with a local museum. In addition, the broader component of this project addresses the local situation in science education and literacy through a special course that partners undergraduate students, the university, and K-12 schools in underserved neighborhoods.