While there is much observational evidence for the existence of dark matter, scientists have yet to observe directly any of the proposed candidates for it. More exotic candidates for dark matter should thus be given consideration. Tachyons, faster-than-light particles, have also long been hypothesized but never observed and could be such an exotic dark matter candidate. In this research, the viability of tachyonic dark matter is tested by examining its effects on the universe’s expansion. The luminosity distance-redshift relation of this model can be fitted to the observed distance moduli and redshifts of Type Ia supernovae, using a Levenberg-Marquardt χ-squared minimizing program. When applied to data from over 2000 such supernovae, the fits yield values for the Hubble parameter, the current age of the universe, and the cosmic-jerk redshift of 66.6 - 69.6 km/s/Mpc, 8.2 - 8.3 Gyr, and 0.10 - 0.12, respectively. These values agree with some of those obtained in more standard models and disagree with others, suggesting that this new model might address some of the problems currently confronting the standard cosmological models.

Dr. Ian Redmount of the Department of Physics was a diligent and most helpful mentor throughout the research process and Samuel is very grateful for his assistance. SLU's Department of Physics faculty also provided valuable support and input throughout the past few years.