Dark-Matter Small Projects New Initiatives

Only one-sixth of the matter in our universe is made of the fundamental particles we understand. Understanding what the remaining “dark” matter is made of is one of the most important fundamental goals in modern science. It connects such disparate scientific areas as the formation of stars and galaxies, the earliest moments of our universe, and the constituents of matter at the smallest length scales. Astronomical evidence for dark matter has built steadily for eight decades, though the elementary particles or waves that constitute dark matter remain a mystery. Recent theoretical developments have highlighted the importance of searching for dark matter particles in the range from as heavy as a single hydrogen atom to the lightest mass consistent with galactic structure (30 orders of magnitude lighter). Remarkably, small projects at the $5M–$15M scale can explore key milestones throughout this range. By seizing these opportunities, we are now in a position to finally discover the nature of dark matter.

The talk will be based on the recently completed report of a workshop "Basic Research Needs for Dark Matter Small Projects."