Astroparticle Physics - A Joint TeVPA/ IDM Conference

23-28 June 2014
Amsterdam
Europe/Zurich timezone

Towards an Improved Model of Diffuse Gamma-ray Emission from the Milky Way: mapping the dust, gas, and radiation field.

27 Jun 2014, 15:20
15m
Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Tuschinski Theatre Reguliersbreestraat 26 1017 CN Amsterdam
Presentation Gamma-Ray Astrophysics

Speaker

Douglas Finkbeiner (Harvard University)

Description

The strongest WIMP annihilation signals are expected from the inner Milky Way, but foreground contribution from cosmic-ray interactions with the gas and radiation field are strongest there as well. Therefore, indirect detection has been hampered by insufficient knowledge of the diffuse gamma-ray foregrounds. Improved modeling requires a 3D map of gas and dust (for $\pi^0$ and brem photons) and a 6D map of the radiation field (for inverse Compton), along with models of cosmic-ray density in both protons/nuclei and electrons. Using observations of 650,000,000 stars from the Pan-STARRS1 survey, we are currently making a 3D map of the interstellar material and the stellar luminosity density. I will show our progress so far, and speculate about what could be done with future data to better understand the diffuse gamma-ray emission in our galaxy.

Primary author

Douglas Finkbeiner (Harvard University)

 Slides