Risa Wechsler
Director, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) and Professor of Physics, Particle Physics, and Astrophysics
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Title: Unveiling the nature of dark matter with small-scale cosmic structure

Cosmological and astrophysical measurements provide clear evidence for the existence of dark matter, and in recent years they have started to map dark matter over large volumes of the cosmos. At the same time, we still do not know much about the mass or interaction properties of the dark matter particle(s?).  I will discuss some of the most promising probes of dark matter using small-scale cosmic structure, including dwarf galaxies, gravitational lenses, and the properties of stellar streams, and describe how these observations are already providing insight into the microphysical properties of the dark matter particle itself.  Large photometric and spectroscopic surveys coming online this decade will accelerate this search, in a way that is complementary to other dark matter probes.

Host: Christina Eilers                                                                                                                                                                          via Zoom