Dark Matter Constraints from
Gravitationally Lensing Probes
Leonidas Moustakas
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
The lion's share of matter in the universe is made of material that appears
to interact only gravitationally with normal, baryonic matter. There are
many plausible candidates for the dark matter particle or particles, whose
properties may or may not cooperate with direct and indirect detection
experiments underway, but which may leave distinct signatures on
sub-galactic astrophysical scales. Galaxy-scale strong gravitational
lensing offers unique avenues for exploring these signatures. By combining
several complementary measurements in a given lens, including time-delay
perturbations, it may be possible to determine the mass function of dark
matter substructure over a mass range that is diagnostic to dark matter
particle properties. The challenge in this decade will be to design and
execute the observations necessary.
Astrophysics Seminar
Markus Böttcher's home page
OU Astronomy and Astrophysics
Department Physics and Astronomy
Ohio University