Dissecting The Gamma Ray Background In Search Of Dark Matter PDF Download

This thesis focuses on the search for unknown dark matter (DM) satellites in the Milky Way using the Fermi Large Area Space Telescope (LAT). The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi) is a next generation space observatory, which was successfully launched on June 11th, 2008. The LAT is the principal scientific instrument onboard. Its unprecedented angular resolution and sensitivity in the 100 MeV to > 300 GeV energy range makes it an excellent instrument for probing the sky for DM satellites. Current N-body simulations based on the Lambda-CDM cosmology model predict a large number of as yet unobserved DM satellites in our galaxy; some satellites are predicted to be extended sources (> 1deg extension) as seen by the LAT. Our work assumes that a significant component of DM is a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) in the 100 GeV mass range. The annihilation of WIMPs results in many high energy gamma rays that can be well measured by the LAT. The WIMP produced gamma-ray spectrum from the putative DM satellites is considerably harder than most astrophysical sources. Also, DM satellites have no astronomical counterparts in the X-ray and radio bands, and the emission has no time variability. My thesis will focus on a blind analysis in the search for unknown DM satellites using one year of LAT data, and setting constraints on some WIMP models based on the results of our analysis in which we find no candidates.