Search

This is a report on the findings of the dark matter science working group for the white paper on the status and future of TeV gamma-ray astronomy. The white paper was commissioned by the American Physical Society, and the full white paper can be found on astro-ph (arXiv:0810.0444). This detailed section discusses the prospects for dark matter detection with future gamma-ray experiments, and the complementarity of gamma-ray measurements with other indirect, direct or accelerator-based searches. We conclude that any comprehensive search for dark matter should include gamma-ray observations, both to identify the dark matter particle (through the charac- teristics of the gamma-ray spectrum) and to measure the distribution of dark matter in galactic halos., Report from the Dark Matter Science Working group of the APS commissioned White paper on ground-based TeV gamma ray astronomy (19 pages, 9 figures)

The NSF has chosen the site for the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) to be in Lead, South Dakota. In fact, the state of South Dakota has already stepped up to the plate and contributed its own funding for the proposed lab, see http://www.sanfordlaboratoryathomestake.org/index.html. The final decision by NSF for funding the Initial Suite of Experiments for DUSEL will be made early in 2009. At that time the NSF Science Board must make a decision. Of order 200 experimentalists have already expressed an interest in performing experiments at DUSEL. In order to assess the interest of the theoretical community, the Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics (CCAPP) at The Ohio State University (OSU) organized a 3-day DUSEL Theory Workshop in Columbus, Ohio from April 4 - 6, 2008. The workshop focused on the scientific case for six proposed experiments for DUSEL: long baseline neutrino oscillations, proton decay, dark matter, astrophysical neutrinos, neutrinoless double beta decay and N-Nbar oscillations. The outcome of this workshop is the DUSEL Theory White paper addressing the scientific case at a level which may be useful in the decision making process for policy makers at the NSF and in the U.S. Congress. In order to assess the physics interest in the DUSEL project we have posted the DUSEL Theory White paper on the following CCAPP link http://ccapp.osu.edu/whitepaper.html . Please read the white paper and, if you are interested, use the link to show your support by co-signing the white paper., Comment: In order to assess the physics interest in the DUSEL project we have posted the DUSEL Theory White paper on the following CCAPP link (http://ccapp.osu.edu/whitepaper.html). Please read the white paper and, if you are interested, use the link to show your support by co- signing the white paper

This paper reviews the field of gamma-ray astronomy and describes future experiments and prospects for advances in fundamental physics and high-energy astrophysics through gamma-ray measurements. We concentrate on recent progress in the understanding of active galaxies, and the use of these sources as probes of intergalactic space. We also describe prospects for future experiments in a number of areas of fundamental physics, including: searches for an annihilation line from neutralino dark matter, understanding the energetics of supermassive black holes, using AGNs as cosmological probes of the primordial radiation fields, constraints on quantum gravity, detection of a new spectral component from GRBs, and the prospects for detecting primordial black holes., 28 pages, 18 figures, From Snowmass 2001 "The Future of Particle Physics"

M31 is a very tempting target for a microlensing search of compact objects in galactic haloes. It is the nearest large galaxy, it probably has its own dark halo, and its tilted position with respect to the line of sight provides an unmistakable signature of microlensing. However most stars of M31 are not resolved and one has to use the ``pixel method'': monitor the pixels of the image rather than the stars. AGAPE is the implementation of this idea. Data have been collected and treated during two autumns of observation at the 2 metre telescope of Pic du Midi. The process of geometric and photometric alignment, which must be performed before constructing pixel light curves, is described. Seeing variations are minimised by working with large super-pixels (2.1) compared with the average seeing. A high level of stability of pixel fluxes, crucial to the approach, is reached. Fluctuations of super-pixels do not exceed 1.7 times the photon noise which is 0.1% of the intensity for the brightest ones. With such stable data, 10 microlensing events are expected for a full ``standard halo''. With a larger field, a regular and short time sampling and a long lever arm in time, the pixel method will be a very efficient tool to explore the halo of M31., Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures. Text and figures with better definition will also be available at http://cdfinfo.in2p3.fr/Experiences/AGAPE/publis.html Modified according to the requirement of the referee. To appear in A&A

AGAPE is an observational search of massive compact halo objects (MACHOs) in the direction of M31 by means of a novel method: the gravitational microlensing of unresolved stars. The search consists in examining CCD pixel light curves for microlensing features. The high level of temporal stability necessary to detect microlensing events has been achieved, with quiet pixels stable within a factor of two of the photon noise (the brightest ones down to a level of 0.001 mag). The data analysis is still in progress, but hundreds of variable objects (cepheids, novae, ...) have already been found. Among them there are several lightcurves that resemble microlensing events., Comment: presented at the International Conference on "Dark and Visible Matter in Galaxies" (Sesto Pusteria, Italy, 2-5 July 1996), 8 pages, 7 figures, uses paspconf.sty, psfig.sty

A status report of the microlensing search by the pixel method in the direction of M31, on the 2 meter telescope at Pic du Midi is given. Pixels are stable to a level better than 0.5%. Pixel variations as small as 0.02 magnitude can clearly be detected., 5 pages, Latex2e, includes 5 figures, uuencoded gziped tar file. Proceedings of the workshop ``The dark side of the Universe : experimental efforts and theoretical framework'' Roma 13-14 November 1995

We analyze the rate of detection of minimal supersymmetric neutralino dark matter in germanium, sapphire and sodium iodide detectors, imposing cosmological and recent accelerator bounds including those from \bsg\ decay. We find, in contrast with several other recent analyses, that although the \bsg\ constraint reduces the number of viable models, models still remain where the counting rate in solid state detectors exceeds 10 kg$^{-1}$ day$^{-1}$., uuencoded, gzipped postscript (17 pages), figures available at http://vanosf.physto.se/lbe/bg_figs.uu

A study of the current status of WIMP dark matter searches has been made in the context of scientific and technical planning for a Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) in the U.S. The table of contents follows: 1. Overview 2. WIMP Dark Matter: Cosmology, Astrophysics, and Particle Physics 3. Direct Detection of WIMPs 4. Indirect Detection of WIMPs 5. Dark Matter Candidates and New Physics in the Laboratory 6. Synergies with Other Sub-Fields 7. Direct Detection Experiments: Status and Future Prospects 8. Infrastructure 9. International Context 10. Summary and Outlook 11. Acknowledgments, Comment: Final working group report of 17 Feb 2007 updated to address reviewer comments (Latex, 32 pages)