CMB-S4

CMB-S4 Next Generation CMB Experiment

high school course

Dark Matter

Welcome to the CMB-S4 course for high school students. This course consists of a series of talks presented by CMB-S4 scientists from across the collaboration. Dr. Cynthia Trendafilova presents the third talk of the series which focused on dark matter. What is dark matter? How do we know it exists? This session delves into the mysteries of dark matter.

To start, keep this google form open on another tab and answer the questions after you watch each video. Once you have completed all the sections, submit the form so your answers may be recorded. Your name and email will be collected at the start of the quiz; this will allow us to send each student an electronic certificate of participation.

Course Objectives

III. Dark Matter

  1. Evidence for Dark Matter
    • Understand how the motion of galaxies and gravitational lensing provide evidence for dark matter.
    • Explore historical discoveries and experimental observations supporting dark matter, including the work of Fritz Zwicky and the Bullet Cluster collision.
  2. Theories and Candidates for Dark Matter
    • Discuss various dark matter candidates, including MACHOs, WIMPs, and other theoretical models.
    • Examine the limitations of different dark matter theories and how they are tested through direct detection and particle colliders.
  3. The Role of Dark Matter in Cosmic Evolution
    • Explore how dark matter influences the structure and rotation of galaxies.
    • Investigate the future of dark matter research and its potential impact on our understanding of the universe.

1 – How do we know Dark Matter exists?

  1. Observe the velocity of the planet around its orbit from the video. At which position would the other massive body be located to create the observed motion?
  3. Which two kinds of observations can we use to infer how much mass is in a cluster?
    • The age of the oldest stars in the cluster
    • How much luminous matter we see
    • The redshift of the cluster
    • The size of the cluster’s central black hole
    • How fast are galaxies in the cluster rotating
  4. By what factor did the amount of mass Zwicky predicted using the rotational velocity approach exceed the mass predicted using the luminosity approach?
    • 1/4
    • 4
    • 40
    • 400
    • 4000

2 – Experimental Observations of Dark Matter

  1. Which of these galaxies plots have dark matter?
  3. Which color represents dark matter in the Bullet cluster collision?
  5. Without dark matter would our solar system be rotating around the Milky Way galaxy faster or slower?
    • Faster
    • Slower

3 – What might Dark Matter be?

  1. Which of the following properties of dark matter are true? (Select all that apply)
    • Dark matter is warm
    • Dark matter does not participate in electromagnetic interactions
    • Dark matter interacts via gravity
    • Dark matter interacts very strongly with other dark matter
    • Dark matter is stable
  2. What are the candidates for Dark Matter?
    • Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND)
    • Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Object (MACHO)
    • Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs)
    • Strongly Interacting Massive Particles (SIMPs)
    • All of the above
  3. What is the limitation of the MACHO theory for dark matter?
    • MACHOs cannot explain the rotational velocities of galaxies
    • MACHOs are only found in certain types of galaxies
    • We do not observe enough MACHO candidates to account for all dark matter
    • MACHOs do not interact with light at all

4 – How do we look for Dark Matter?

  1. Which of the following methods use Direct Detection?
    • Scattering
    • Annihilation
    • Particle colliders
  2. The process of a particle and antiparticle colliding and destroying each other to release energy is called _______
  3. What do we look for when using Particle Colliders to detect dark matter?
    • Visible baryonic matter
    • An excess of protons 
    • Missing energy
    • Microscopic black holes