Professor Jocelyn Monroe (Particle Physics, University of Oxford) discusses cosmic rays, dark matter, and the work of Don Perkins, focusing on the tools of particle astrophysics.
Professor Jocelyn Monroe is an experimental particle physicist, studying dark matter and neutrinos. Monroe did not know Perkins personally but taught his textbook on particle astrophysics to undergraduates, highlighting its influence and Perkins' enthusiasm for the subject. Monroe's talk focuses on the tools of particle astrophysics that provide insights into the largest scales and exotic objects in the universe, as well as the smallest particle physics distance scales. She discusses cosmic rays and the search for dark matter, emphasizing the evidence for dark matter from various astrophysical scales and observations, which contribute to the Lambda CDM standard model of cosmology. She covers theoretical dark matter models, indirect detection strategies, and the status of self-annihilation searches. Monroe also talks about direct detection of dark matter, her field, and the challenges faced. Her talk ends with the prospects of detecting dark matter and the development of new technologies for this purpose.