The Search for Dark Matter

Dark matter is now widely accepted to dominate the matter density of the universe. This non-luminous, non-baryonic substance is a new form of matter that has thus far escaped direct detection. I will describe our knowledge of dark matter and the evidence for its existence from several different types of observations. I will follow this up with a discussion of leading theories that are able to incorporate this new type of particle and predict its properties. Finally, I will enter into a survey of various experimental techniques that are aimed at gathering direct or indirect evidence for the existence of a dark matter particle. I will wrap it all up with some personal observations on how this most intriguing problem of our lifetime will shape the future of experimental particle physics.

Speaker: Mani Tripathi, Professor, Physics Department, University of California, Davis

Room 3105