7–13 Sept 2025
Hermitage Hotel, Isola D'Elba
Europe/Rome timezone

Mapping out the Dark Matter in the Milky Way with Stars

8 Sept 2025, 09:50
40m
Hermitage Hotel, Isola D'Elba

Hermitage Hotel, Isola D'Elba

57037 Portoferraio Isola d’Elba (Li) Italy

Speaker

Lina Necib (MIT)

Description

In this talk, I will explore the interfacing of simulations, observations, and machine learning techniques to construct a detailed map of Dark Matter in the Milky Way, focusing on the Galactic Center/Halo and dwarf galaxies. For the Galactic Halo, I will present a recent work that reveals a decline in the stellar circular velocity, inducing tensions with established estimates of the Milky Way's mass and Dark Matter content. I will discuss how the underestimated systematic errors in such a common methodology necessitates a revised approach that combines theory, observations, and machine learning. In dwarf galaxies, I will present a novel Graph Neural Network methodology that facilitates the accurate extraction of Dark Matter density profiles, validated against realistic simulations. I will conclude with a discussion on the future trajectory of astroparticle physics, emphasizing the need for the integration of astrophysical probes, particularly those of stellar dynamics, with our understanding of Dark Matter in the Galaxy and its connection with Dark Matter detection experiments.

Author

Lina Necib (MIT)

Presentation materials