Looking for the invisible: Searches for Dark Matter

Astronomical and cosmological observations require the existence of dark matter in our universe. Today, Dark Matter is generally thought to have particle nature, where the dark matter particles have relatively long lifetimes, interact gravitationally and, possibly, also via the weak interaction.

In the Standard Model of particle physics, only neutrinos have the correct properties, but, due to their small mass, neutrinos can only account for a small fraction of the observed Dark Matter in our universe. In extended versions of the standard model sterile neutrinos, in particular keV-sterile neutrinos can contribute as warm dark matter candidates.

Light supersymmetric particles are an example for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) which are candidates for cold darm matter. Other viable dark matter candidates are axions, which have been introduced to solve the strong CP-problem of QCD, or axion-like particles.

The seminar will address the astrophysical and cosmological evidences which led to the postulation of dark matter. It will discuss the most prominent dark matter candidates and the different direct and indirect methods to search for their existence. Particular emphasis is put on the determination of neutrino masses, the search for sterile neutrinos, WIMPS and axions.

Possible seminar topics:

1. DM in the Universe: Rotational curves, Structure formation and CMB, Gravitational lensing
2. Direct neutrinos mass measurements: Katrin
3. Direct neutrinos mass measurements: cryogenic detectors
4. keV sterile neutrino searches: Xray searches (Chandra, XMM, EPIC); kinks in beta-sepctra
5. eV sterile neutrinos: LSND & miniBoone
6. Search for neutrinoless double beta decay: Gerda, scinitllating crystals (tbd)
7. Indirect searches: AMS
8. Indirect searches: Fermi-LAT
9. High mass WIMP searches: Xenon1t;
10. Low mass WIMP  searches: Cresst                       10b) Low mass WIMP searches: DAMA
11. DM seaches at the LHC
12. Axion searches (particle) via Primakoff effect (CAST; ALPS; IAXO)
13. Light Axion searches (waves) - ADMX (Casper)

Lecturer

• Prof. M. Lindner (MPI für Kernphysik), eMail: lindner at mpi-hd.mpg.de
• Jun. Prof. L. Gastaldo (Kirchhof Institut), eMail: Loredana.Gastaldo at kip.uni-heidelberg.de
• Prof. U. Uwer (Physikalisches Institut), eMail: uwer at physi.uni-heidelberg.de

Registration:

To register for the seminar, please klick here

Talks

• Mon   30.11.-0001 14:00   entfällt. Search for neutrinoless double beta decay: Gerda, scinitllating crystals
  Pablo Banon Perez
• Fri   10.11.2017 14:00   DM in the Universe: Rotational curves, Structure formation and CMB, Gravitational lensing
  Ivan Kostyuk
  • summary.pdf
  • presentation.pdf
• Fri   17.11.2017 14:00   entfälllt
  Sarah Franziska Bartha
• Fri   24.11.2017 14:00   keV sterile neutrino searches: Xray searches (Chandra, XMM, EPIC); kinks in beta-sepctra
  Jose Agustin Lozano Torres
• Fri   1.12.2017 11:00   keV sterile neutrino searches: Xray searches (Chandra, XMM, EPIC); kinks in beta-sepctra
  Mario Dietrich Collada
• Fri   8.12.2017 14:00   Indirect searches: AMS
  Víctor David Bosca Navarro
• Fri   22.12.2017 14:00   Indirect searches: Fermi-LAT
  Maria Selina Nitschai
• Fri   12.1.2018 14:00   High mass WIMP searches: Xenon1t
  Jan Nikolas Morshuis
• Fri   19.1.2018 11:00   Low mass WIMP searches: Cresst
  Giorgio Laverda
• Fri   26.1.2018 14:00   DM seaches at the LHC
  Rhea Moutafis
  • Presentation_LHC_Moutafis.pdf
  • Writeup_LHC_Moutafis.pdf
• Fri   2.2.2018 14:00   Light Axion searches (waves) - ADMX (Casper)
  Leonidas Ihlemann

• Seminar (Uwer/Gastaldo/Lindner)
  14 participants
  Fri 14:00 - 16:00