Probing Dark Matter Self-interactions with the Collapsed Dark Matter Halo
Abstract
Dark matter can be part of the dark sectors consisting of a plethora of hidden particles with new interactions. These new particles and interactions may modify the formation and evolution of various structures in the Universe. In this talk, the speaker will focus on the impact of dark matter self-interactions, a ubiquitous phenomenon in the dark sector paradigm, on the dynamics of the dark matter halos. Self-interacting dark matter halo experiences the gravothermal evolution: the central halo first develops a core but ultimately collapses. The presence of the collapsed phase greatly diversifies the density distributions of dark matter halos. It leaves unique imprints in the observations, such as the rotation curves, the strong gravitational lensing, the weak gravitational lensing, and a population of supermassive black holes with redshifts > 6, whose origin remains a puzzle in astrophysics.
About the speaker
Dr. ZHONG Yiming is a KICP fellow at the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. He received his PhD at C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stony Brook University in 2016. He was then a postdoc at Boston University before moving to Chicago. His research area is in the intersection of theoretical particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. He is interested in the search for particle dark matter, and other new physics through astrophysical observations.
About the program
For more information, please refer to the program website at http://iasprogram.ust.hk/particle_theory.
