Dark Matter in Extreme Environments

极端环境中的暗物质

• 批准号: SAPIN-2022-00017
• 负责人: McDonough, Evan
• 金额: $ 2.99万
• 依托单位: University of Winnipeg
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Subatomic Physics Envelope - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=762536
• 关键词: Dark; Matter; Extreme; Environments

The experimental evidence for dark matter is overwhelming, and yet the particle nature of dark matter, and the connection to the Standard Model of particle physics, remains a mystery. The uncertainty in the dark matter particle mass is many orders of magnitude, and there is no constraint on the spin of the dark matter particle, or its nature as a boson or fermion. These questions can be mapped onto the dynamics of dark matter in the very early universe, namely the physics responsible for setting the present day dark matter abundance, as well as the dynamics of dark matter in galaxies, and hence the properties of present day dark matter halos. These two regimes, namely the extreme high energy "cosmological collider" in the early universe and the high density environment of dark matter halos, are complementary testing grounds for dark matter models, and help circumscribe the set of models consistent with data. This has implications for particle physics experiments, which are sensitive to the mass, spin, and interactions, of dark matter. My approach to uncovering the particle physics of dark matter will be to be study these extreme environments, expand our notion of models that are possible and are consistent with data, and make predictions for particle physics experiments. In particular, I plan to investigate the signature of these models in varying observational windows, and to study the cosmological signatures of axions, including the role of axion-like particles in measurements of the expansion rate of the universe. This research program synthesizes different parameter and model regimes and their implications for particle physics experiments. It builds toward a long-term vision of ruling-in or ruling-out broad classes of dark matter models, such as the extreme ends of the mass range (ultralight and superheavy) or high spin particles.

暗物质的实验证据是压倒性的，但暗物质的粒子性质以及与粒子物理标准模型的联系仍然是个谜。暗物质粒子质量的不确定性是多个数量级，并且暗物质粒子的自旋或其作为玻色子或费米子的性质没有限制。这些问题可以映射到极早期宇宙中暗物质的动力学，即负责设定当今暗物质丰度的物理学，以及星系中暗物质的动力学，以及当今暗物质晕的特性。这两种状态，即早期宇宙的极高能量“宇宙对撞机”和暗物质晕的高密度环境，是暗物质模型的补充试验场，有助于界定与数据一致的模型集。这对于对暗物质的质量、自旋和相互作用敏感的粒子物理实验具有影响。我揭示暗物质粒子物理学的方法将是研究这些极端环境，扩展我们可能的且与数据一致的模型概念，并对粒子物理实验做出预测。特别是，我计划在不同的观测窗口中研究这些模型的特征，并研究轴子的宇宙学特征，包括类轴子粒子在测量宇宙膨胀率中的作用。该研究项目综合了不同的参数和模型体系及其对粒子物理实验的影响。它建立了一个长期愿景，即裁定或排除广泛的暗物质模型，例如质量范围的极端（超轻和超重）或高自旋粒子。