Speaker
Description
Decades of direct and indirect detection attempts via hypothesized non-gravitational interactions of dark matter yielded, so far, only null results.
Existing positive evidence is overwhelming, but purely gravitational. This motivates a program for widening and deepening the scope of gravitational probes: highlighting observational data and attempting to detect, understand, and solve — from first principles — the subtle beyond-mean field gravitational dynamics of astrophysical systems that are known to be dark matter-dominated. I will outline two research threads along these lines: (1) Dark matter-induced gravitational dynamical friction, imprinting itself in the orbit distribution of globular clusters in dwarf galaxies. I will show, in particular, that the NFW dark matter density profile attracts and captures globular clusters, with intriguing implications for the Fornax dwarf galaxy. (2) The hunt for the wave mechanics signature of ultralight dark matter, shaping the lower limit of the mass of dark matter particles, obtained via gravitational dynamics alone. I will focus on a recent debate concerning the role of galactic tides, affecting the halo structure of orbiting dark matter-rich dwarf satellites.