November 20, 2018

Speaker: Tracy Slatyer (MIT/IAS Visiting Junior Professor)

Contact Information: tslatyer@mit.edu

Title: The Dark History of the Early Universe: Seeking Imprints of Dark Matter Interactions on the Cosmic Dawn

Abstract:

84% of the matter in the universe is ``dark'', presently invisible to us except through its gravitational interactions. However, even tiny interactions between dark and visible matter could have striking effects on the primordial history of our universe: ionizing, heating and/or cooling the intergalactic gas, and modifying the spectrum of low-energy background photons. Recent claims of a detection of 21cm line emission from the epoch of cosmic dawn, when the first stars were formed, would have striking implications for such interactions if confirmed; at the same time, constraints from even earlier epochs circumscribe the possible interpretations. I will discuss these implications -- including the interplay between current constraints, the possible signal, and future probes -- and describe work in progress on improved techniques to map out the possible signals of dark matter annihilation and decay in this epoch.

Visit Schedule:

Wednesday (21 Nov 2018)

(visitor room: 105A)

• 10:30 a.m.: Astro Coffee

• 11:00 a.m.: Elliot Davies (Grand central)

• 11:30 a.m.: Neta Bahcall (137 Peyton)

• 12:00 p.m.: Kris Pardo (Peyton 024A)

• 12:30 p.m.: Wunch (Peyton 033)

• 2:00 p.m.: Zack Li (Peyton 009)

• 2:30 p.m.:

• 3:00 p.m.:

• 3:30 p.m.:

• 4:00 p.m.: