DIPC Colloquium: A conclusive test of the cold dark matter model
DIPC Seminars
- Speaker
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Carlos Frenk, Institute for Computational Cosmology Physics Dept, Durham University, UK
- When
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2023/03/23
17:00 - Place
- Donostia International Physics Center
- Add to calendar
-
iCal
Abstract: The "Lambda cold dark matter" (LCDM) cosmological model is one of
the great achievements in Physics of the past thirty years.
Theoretical predictions formulated in the 1980s turned out to agree remarkably
well with measurements, performed decades later, of the galaxy distribution
and the temperature structure of the cosmic microwave background radiation.
Yet, these successes do not inform us directly about the nature of the dark
matter. This manifests itself most clearly on subgalactic scales, including
the dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way and especially less massive dark
matter halos, too small to have made a galaxy. Apparent contradictions
between the predictions from cosmological simulations and observations have
led to the perception of a ``small-scale crisis'' for LCDM. I will argue that
this perception stems from an inappropriate application of the simulations and
that, in fact, the theory is entirely consistent with available data. I will
contrast the predictions of LCDM with those of the interesting alternative of
warm dark matter and show how forthcoming gravitational lensing and gamma-ray
data can conclusively distinguish between the two.