Denys Wilkinson Building, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH
Dr Yves Revaz, EPFL
From Dwarf Galaxies to Dark Matter: Testing Alternatives to 螞CDM model
While the current standard model of cosmology, the so-called 螞CDM model, has been extremely
successful in reproducing the large-scale structure of the Universe, several tensions with
observations have recently emerged, potentially pointing toward new physics and/or alternatives
to cold dark matter.
Dwarf galaxies and ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs), the faintest objects formed from primordial
density perturbations, provide a powerful laboratory for probing the nature of dark matter
on very small scales. These systems trace physical regimes beyond those typically accessed
by standard methods such as the Lyman-alpha forest, and therefore offer a unique opportunity
to place new constraints on the properties of dark matter.
In this talk, I will first discuss state-of-the-art models of dwarf galaxy formation,
highlighting both their successes in reproducing observed properties of the Universe
and the challenges that remain. I will then explore how alternatives to the 螞CDM
framework can be tested and constrained using dwarf galaxies and UFDs. In particular,
I will examine the impact of primordial magnetic fields as well as self-interacting
dark matter (SIDM) and warm dark matter (WDM) on the properties of those galaxies.