Date:
Mon, 04/04/202216:00-17:30
Location:
Place: Levin building, Lecture Hall No. 8
Lecturer: Priyamvada Natarajan (Yale University)
Abstract:
Gravitational lensing by clusters of galaxies offers a powerful probe of theories of
structure formation. The standard paradigm of a cold dark matter dominated Universe provides concrete predictions for small-scale substructure properties including their abundance, radial distribution and lensing efficiency. I present recent exciting results that confront observationally inferred quantities that map dark matter on small-scales with predictions of cosmological simulations. The power and prospects for stress-testing the cold dark matter paradigm with lensing data will be discussed. With the upcoming data deluge new stringent tests of dark matter will become feasible and viable.
Abstract:
Gravitational lensing by clusters of galaxies offers a powerful probe of theories of
structure formation. The standard paradigm of a cold dark matter dominated Universe provides concrete predictions for small-scale substructure properties including their abundance, radial distribution and lensing efficiency. I present recent exciting results that confront observationally inferred quantities that map dark matter on small-scales with predictions of cosmological simulations. The power and prospects for stress-testing the cold dark matter paradigm with lensing data will be discussed. With the upcoming data deluge new stringent tests of dark matter will become feasible and viable.