Different dark matter models can predict different patterns of clustering on small scales. Studying those patterns provides a way to test particle properties that are difficult to distinguish from a galaxy rotation curve alone. Dan's research uses structure within and around galaxies to connect astronomical observations with possible dark matter physics.
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9:59as we now turn I So, we now kind of have an idea of what is dark matter in the sense that it it is this thing that interacts with gravity, that impacts things we can see all across the universe from multiple instruments and multiple observations. And now we want to sort of take it a step further. So, in terms of the life of you as a researcher right now looking at this issue, you know, where do you even start, right? Like like what is you know, how do you even define the problem, think about where to begin? >> Yeah, so let me let me give you the kind of quick explanation, and then we'll get into the details. >> Okay. >> So, we're you know,
10:41we want to study dark matter in a way that's sensitive to its particle properties. >> Okay. >> Right. So, the galaxy rotation curve uh types of of arguments are not so sensitive to the actual particle nature of dark matter. They are a little bit, but if you want to understand the particle nature of dark matter, and you want to do particle physics with astronomy in the context of dark matter, we have to start looking at how dark matter clusters uh around galaxies. That turns out to be one of the uh most constraining types of measurements you can make is by studying
11:22not the large-scale structure of the universe, which by the way is almost impossible to explain without dark matter. Uh it's actually how dark matter behaves on smaller scales. You know, on on scales like galaxies. So, I think we actually have a good picture that we can show. It's number six. >> Number six, okay. >> Right. So, this this figure it was came