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THE UNSEEN EFFECT OF DARK MATTER

This presentation provides an overview of dark matter, including its definition, current understanding, detection methods, and cosmological impact. It discusses the two forms of dark matter (hot and cold), the possibility of it being made up of baryons or non-baryons, and the potential candidates for dark matter particles such as MACHOs and WIMPs. The presentation also explores the consensus and current theories regarding dark matter, as well as indirect detection methods and the universal implications of dark matter density.

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THE UNSEEN EFFECT OF DARK MATTER

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  1. THE UNSEEN EFFECT OF DARK MATTER Max Ehrhardt Physics 335 Final Presentation 12/1/04

  2. Overview • Definition • Current Understanding • Detection Methods • Cosmological Impact

  3. Definition of Dark Matter Matter that can be seen by its gravitational effects, but does not emit light. Dark Matter Not Dark Matter

  4. Hot or Cold? Dark matter comes in two forms: Hot Dark Matter (HDM) -very small particles (neutrinos) -relativistic velocities Cold Dark Matter (CDM) -more massive and slower -able to form smaller structures like galaxies

  5. Baryons vs. Non-Baryons CDM could be made of two types of matter Baryons -Strongly interacting fermions -”Normal” matter Non-Baryons -Formed during the Big Bang -Suitable candidate not directly observed (yet)

  6. MACHOs MAssive Compact Halo Objects • Brown Dwarfs • Exist in the halo of galaxies • Attempts to explain Cold Dark Matter without new particles

  7. WIMPs Weakly Interacting Massive Particles • Undiscovered non-baryonic particle • Interacts only through the weak and gravitational forces • High mass corresponds to a lower kinetic energy, making the particle “cold”

  8. WIMPs Supersymmetry • Several candidates for WIMPs are predicted by supersymmetry • Neutralinos are the most probable • non-interacting • Combination of Z-boson, photon, and Higgs boson superpartners

  9. Consensus? • No WIMPs have been directly observed • Groups studying MACHOs have not found enough objects to account for the missing mass problem • Cold Dark Matter probably a mixture of both baryonic and non-baryonic matter • We still do not know for sure

  10. Indirect Detection Galaxy Rotation - Missing Mass

  11. Looking for WIMPs Several groups are currently running experiments to find WIMPs • Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) • Cryogenically cooled crystals • DAMA experiment • Scintillation detectors • Both detect the collision between a WIMP and target nuclei

  12. Universal Composition

  13. Universal Implications  = Actual Density / Critical Density

  14. Universal Overview • Dark matter slows the universal expansion rate • Density of dark matter affects the fate of the universe • Low density leads to accelerating expansion • High density leads to Big Crunch • Dark matter density affects the universal geometry • Low density leads to open universe • High density leads to closed universe

  15. Universal Overview • Current measurements indicate a flat universe with accelerating expansion • The existence of dark matter can explain these observations • Detecting dark matter can confirm measurements

  16. References Whitlock, Dr. Laura. “How Big is the Universe?” http://nbsp.sonoma.edu/resources/teachers_materials/universe_01/faq_4/tsld029.htm PowerPoint presentation. (8/02/01) WMAP Mission Results http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_uni/uni_101matter.html (10/25/2004) http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_uni/uni_101bb2.html (4/30/2004) Responsible NASA Official: Charles Bennett Miller, Chris. “Cosmic Hide and Seek: The Search for the Missing Mass.” http://www.eclipse.net/~cmmiller/DM/index.html Feasey, Roger. “The Truth About Mond.” Auckland Astronomical Society Journal. (9/2002)

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