PIRSA:11030079

The structure of the dark matter distribution on laboratory scales

White, S. (2011). The structure of the dark matter distribution on laboratory scales. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/11030079

White, Simon. The structure of the dark matter distribution on laboratory scales. Perimeter Institute, Mar. 30, 2011, https://pirsa.org/11030079 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:11030079,
            doi = {10.48660/11030079},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/11030079},
            author = {White, Simon},
            keywords = {Cosmology},
            language = {en},
            title = {The structure of the dark matter distribution on laboratory scales},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2011},
            month = {mar},
            note = {PIRSA:11030079 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Simon White

Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA), Garching

Talk number
PIRSA:11030079
Collection
Talk Type
Subject
Abstract
At the time of recombination, 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the structure of the dark matter distribution was extremely simple and can be inferred directly from observations of structure in the cosmic microwave background. At this time dark matter particles had small thermal velocities and their distribution deviated from uniformity only through a gaussian field of small density fluctuations with associated motions. Later evolution was driven purely by gravity and so obeyed the collisionless Boltzmann equation. This has immediate consequences for the present distribution of dark matter, even in extremely nonlinear regions such as the part of the Galaxy where the Sun resides. I will show how this structure can be followed in full generality by integrating the Geodesic Deviation Equation in tandem with the equations of motion in a high-resolution N-body simulation, enhancing its effective resolution by more than 10 orders of magnitude. I will discuss how the predicted distribution at the Sun's position impacts the expectations for laboratory experiments seeking to detect the dark matter directly, in particular, the possibility of extremely narrow line signals that may be visible in axion detectors.