Mapping dark matter in the universe

我们现在从许多不同类型的天文观测中获得了强有力的证据，表明我们宇宙中的大多数物质是暗物质，这是一种几乎完全不产生光或与光相互作用的奇异物质。这种只通过引力效应显现的暗物质提供了形成星系等发光结构的脚手架，因此它在宇宙学中扮演着至关重要的角色。此外，尽管暗物质的粒子性质尚不清楚，但候选粒子或多个粒子被限制在当前粒子物理的标准模型之外。因此，对天体物理学家和粒子物理学家来说，识别暗物质都是当务之急。准确地知道在哪里寻找暗物质是重要的第一步。我的研究计划的主要目标是了解和绘制暗物质在宇宙中的分布，特别是在最不确定的小尺度上。使用新的计算技术，我将以前所未有的分辨率模拟我们银河系和太阳系内的暗物质分布。这些模型将被应用于正在进行的暗物质探测实验的分析。我还将使用引力透镜，即光线通过引力场时的偏转，绘制星系团中的小尺度暗物质结构图，并研究它们如何随着星系团的增长而演变。最后，我将在银河系和附近的其他星系周围寻找非常微弱的“矮小”星系，它们在最小的尺度上追踪暗物质。

We now have strong evidence from many different types of astronomical observations that most of the matter in our universe is dark matter, an exotic substance that does not produce or interact with light almost at all. This dark matter, which manifests itself only through its gravitational effects, provides the scaffolding within which luminous structures such as galaxies can form, and thus it plays a vital role in cosmology. Furthermore, although the particle nature of dark matter is still unknown, the candidate particle or particles are constrained to lie outside the current 'standard model' of particle physics. Thus, the identification of dark matter is a top priority both for astrophysicists and for particle physicists. Knowing exactly where to look for dark matter is an important first step. The main goal of my research programme is to understand and to map out the distribution of dark matter in the universe, particularly on small scales where it is the most uncertain. Using novel computational techniques, I will model the dark matter distribution within our Galaxy and within our Solar System at unprecedented resolution. These models will be applied to the analysis of ongoing experiments in dark matter detection. I will also use gravitational lensing, the deflection of light as it passes through a gravitational field, to map small-scale dark matter structures in galaxy clusters, and to study how they evolve as clusters grow. Finally, I will search around the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies for very faint 'dwarf' galaxies that trace dark matter on the smallest scales.