Detection of WIMP-like Dark Matter in Some Extensions of the Standard Model
Author: Andreas Goudelis
Publisher:
Published: 2010
Total Pages: 188
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis thesis treats the detection of dark matter in sorne extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics. Dark matter (DM) is a new matter form whose existence was postulated in order to explain a series of cosmological observations that are in disagreement with current theories in particle physics and cosmology. The tirst chapter of this thesis briefly presents sorne basic elements which are indispensible when working on dark matter. ln the second chapter, we discuss the potential DM detection modes and we present sorne original results concerning the capacity of the respective experiments to reconstruct some properties of dark matter candidates. ln the third chapter, we describe a minimal solution to the dark matter problem. The Standard Model of particle physics is slightly extended to accomodate a particle that could constitute the missing mass of the universe and the phenomenology of this particle is studied. ln the fourth chapter, we present a second solution to the dark matter problem, this time much less minimal or economical. The resulting models (which are called supersymmetric) are considerably more complicated. We study the phenomenology of two such examples. Finally, a summary and sorne conclusions form a fifth chapter. Three appendices follow, containing sorne technical elements as well as a certain number of points aiming at corroborating a few arguments given in the main text.