Dark matter searches in the inner Galaxy through gamma rays

par Francesca Calore (GRAPPA Amsterdam)

jeudi 7 janv. 2016, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Paris

Auditorium (Annecy-le-Vieux)

Unveiling the nature of dark matter is one of today's biggest challenges of particle physics and cosmology. Indirect dark matter detection aims to discriminate the flux of final stable particles (gamma rays, charged cosmic rays and neutrinos) produced by particle dark matter annihilation or decay from the dominant background induced by astrophysical processes. I will focus on indirect dark matter searches through gamma rays and discuss the relevance of astrophysical backgrounds for searches in the inner region of the Milky Way. I will present the evidence for an unknown extended emission at the Galactic center, recently discovered in the data of the Fermi Large Area telescope, and thoroughly scrutinise its viable interpretations.