Unveilling the Nature of Dark Matter with CTA

• Grant number: 25/05794-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Elementary Particle Physics and Fields
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Vitor de Souza Filho
• Grantee: Manoel Felipe Sousa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/01089-1 - Cherenkov Telescope Array: construction and first discoveries, AP.ESP

Abstract

There is a broad consensus nowadays that the matter density of the Universe mainlyconsists of an unknown component, called Dark Matter (DM). However, its fundamentalnature it is still unknown. We propose to investigate the potentialities of CTA to detect adark matter signal and identify its true nature through its annihilation or decay in denseenvironments of the Universe, such as dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSph), satellite galaxiesof the Milky Way like the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Galactic Center (GC).This project is focused on the particle physics and astrophysical modelling of the signal andbackground for several Beyond Standard Models of DM. We will use the CTA data to probethe non-canonical DM models that have been overlooked by gamma-rays experiments inthe past, and will investigate the correlation between gamma-rays lines and the continuousgamma-rays emission. While CTA data is not available, the sensitivity of current instru-ments ((Fermi, H.E.S.S., MAGIC, VERITAS, AMS-02 etc) to these models will be derived.Finally, a work on optimization of the search techniques and analysis methods for thesemodels will be developed to be used with CTA data when available.