Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Ofarrill, Jorge Alexander
URN	etd-11152004-153648
Title	Direct and Indirect Detection of Neutralino Dark Matter
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Physics, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Howard Baer Committee Chair Harrison Prosper Committee Member Kirby Kemper Committee Member Vasken Hagopian Committee Member
Keywords	Dark Matter Susy Direct Indirect
Date of Defense	2004-10-23
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract This dissertation examines the observability of neutralino dark matter in the context of supersymmetric models constrained constrained by the recent WMAP data on the relic density of cold dark matter. The neutralino-nucleon scattering cross-section is calculated and used to derive the rate of interaction for neutralinos scattering from nuclei as well as different modes of indirect detection. Indirect detection of neutralinos is made possible through the annihilation of neutralino pairs into Standard Model (SM) particles. Four different avenues of indirect detection will be covered, including: neutralino annihilation to positrons in the galactic halo, antiprotons from neutralino annihilation in the halo, gamma rays from neutralino annihilation near the core of the galaxy and neutrinos from neutralino annihilation in the core of the sun and the earth. The reaches of various proposed collider experiments will also be calculated. There are many viable supersymmetric models and this dissertation will cover only a few. Most of the rates will be calculated for the mSUGRA model. Results for direct detection will also be given for Yukawa unified SO(10) models with non-universal scalar masses, and 5-dimensional gauge mediated SUSY GUTS. Results for indirect detection will be given for mSUGRA as well as mSUGRA with non-universal gaugino masses. These results will be compared to the sensitivities of ongoing as well as proposed dark matter experiments. Given the precision of the WMAP data, it will be shown that nearly all of the mSUGRA parameter space satisfying the WMAP constraints can be covered by a combination of direct, indirect and collider searches for neutralinos.
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