Abstract:
Dark matter comprises five-sixths of the matter in the universe, and is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for new physics beyond the Standard Model. To date, dark matter has only been detected via its gravitational interactions, but its annihilation or decay could produce high-energy particles observable by Earth-based telescopes. In this talk, I will explore how measurements of gamma rays from the Milky Way can be used to probe the nature of dark matter and its distribution in the Galaxy.