Alex Drlica-Wagner (FNAL) "Using Cosmic Surveys to Understand the Fundamental Nature of Dark Matter"

ABSTRACT:
The existence of dark matter is strong evidence for new physics beyond the Standard Model. While laboratory and collider searches for dark matter have advanced rapidly over the past several decades, astrophysical observations currently provide the only robust, positive, empirical measurement of dark matter. Astrophysical observables can be directly linked to the fundamental properties of dark matter, such as particle mass, self-interaction cross section, and self-annihilation rate. In this talk, I will discuss how the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and the Dark Energy Survey (DES) have advanced our understanding of dark matter from observations of the smallest and most dark-matter-dominated galaxies. In addition, I will discuss opportunities to build a cohesive dark matter program with the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST).