Chasing dark matter with pulsar experiments

• Applicant: Nataliya Porayko, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Astrophysics and Astronomy
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 471421726

There is overwhelming evidence of the existence of dark matter over a wide range of astrophysical scales. Despite extensive direct search experiments it has yet to be detected, making dark matter one of the greatest pending problems of modern astrophysics. With this project I will investigate new avenues of using pulsars for the purpose of dark matter exploration, and will search for dark matter signatures in pulsar data collected with the largest European radio telescopes. The focus will be on two viable scenarios: 1) dark matter formed by primordial black holes which is especially relevant model with respect to the recent LIGO/VIRGO detections; and 2) by axion-like particles, an advantageous dark matter candidate that provides the solution to small-scale problems of the conventional cold dark matter hypothesis. The project will be divided into two work packages. Each work package will be dedicated to the investigation of a specific dark matter model and its effect on pulsar data, and will take approximately one year to be completed. In case of non-detection, stringent constraints will be put on the considered models. This will by itself be a highly influential result in the fields of cosmology, particle physics and general astrophysics. The project requires a multidisciplinary approach and is strategically placed at the intersection of theory and experiment. It will establish close collaboration between the theoretical group at the Sternberg Astronomical Institute (Moscow, Russia) and the observational group at the Max-Planck-Institute for Radio Astronomy (Bonn, Germany). Deep theoretical knowledge of my international host (the Sternberg Astronomical Institute) and strong background in statistical data processing combined with the required observational facilities and observational expertise of my collaborator partners from the Max-Planck-Institute for Radio Astronomy will ensure a successful accomplishment of extensive project plans.

• DFG Programme: WBP Fellowship
• International Connection: Italy, Russia
• Host: Professor Alberto Sesana, Ph.D.