Project Overview
Probing the nature of Dark Matter with the first stars and galaxies in the Universe
Department(s)
Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has begun to revolutionize our view of the Cosmos. The
discovery of Blue Monsters (i.e. ultracompact yet very bright high-z galaxies) and the Little Red Dots (i.e. very
compact dustless strong Balmer break cosmic dawn sources) pose significant challenges to pre-JWST era models of the assembly of first stars and galaxies. In addition, JWST data further strengthen the problem posed by the origin of the supermassive black holes that power the most distant quasars observed.
Stars powered by Dark Matter annihilation (i.e. Dark Stars) can form out of primordial gas clouds during the cosmic dawn era and
subsequently might grow via accretion and become supermassive. Via this research we will demonstrate how Supermassive Dark Stars (SMDSs) offer natural solutions to the three puzzles mentioned above. Additionally we will hunt for evidence of Dark Stars in JWST data. The confirmation of even a signle Dark Star (via its smoking gun spectroscpic signatures) would open up a new field of Astronomy: the study of Dark Matter powered Stars.
Student Qualifications
Profficiency with Python and basic knowledge of Astrophysics concepts (or willingness to quickly learn about those).
Project Length
10 weeks
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