A guide to the Dark Side of the Universe (On the detection and identification of Dark Matter)

by David Cerdeño (Durham University)

Tuesday 9 Feb 2016, 13:15 → 14:30 Europe/Stockholm

FA31

Dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries in Physics. Astrophysical and Cosmological observations have provided substantial evidence supporting the existence of this new type of matter, that does not emit or absorb light, and that makes up a quarter of the contents of the universe. No known elementary particle can account for this, hence dark matter is one of the clearest hints for new Physics beyond the Standard Model. Despite numerous experimental efforts, dark matter particles have not yet been observed, but the search continues with improved detectors. Simultaneously, new particle physics models have been proposed to account for this exotic component. In this talk I will present an overview of the current theoretical and experimental situation and argue that the combination of future data might be crucial, not only to detect, but also to identify these elusive particles.