This work focuses on models of galactic dark matter halos and observational prospects. We investigate the impact of careful computation of the phase-space density and velocity distribution of weakly-interacting massive particles, a major class of dark matter particle candidates, in the Milky Way. In particular, the possibility of a non-trivial velocity-dependence in the self-annihilation cross-section from the Sommerfeld effect is considered in indirect detection; we derive an upper limit on the local velocity dispersion and examine the significance of local anisotropy in the local dark matter distribution in direct detection efforts.
","abstract_html":"<p>This work focuses on models of galactic dark matter halos and observational prospects. We investigate the impact of careful computation of the phase-space density and velocity distribution of weakly-interacting massive particles, a major class of dark matter particle candidates, in the Milky Way. In particular, the possibility of a non-trivial velocity-dependence in the self-annihilation cross-section from the Sommerfeld effect is considered in indirect detection; we derive an upper limit on the local velocity dispersion and examine the significance of local anisotropy in the local dark matter distribution in direct detection efforts.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hunter, Daniel Robert"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Physics","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Francesc Ferrer"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-09-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-09-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:13:40Z","subjects":["dark matter","galactic dynamics","Sommerfeld","statistical mechanics","supersymmetry","WIMPs"],"languages":["English (en)"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["https://doi.org/10.7936/K71J97VK"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://doi.org/10.7936/K71J97VK","href":"https://doi.org/10.7936/K71J97VK","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd/1309","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Francesc Ferrer"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hunter, Daniel Robert"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-10-08T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Physics"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["dark matter","galactic dynamics","Sommerfeld","statistical mechanics","supersymmetry","WIMPs"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English (en)"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd/1309"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["https://doi.org/10.7936/K71J97VK"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This work focuses on models of galactic dark matter halos and observational prospects. We investigate the impact of careful computation of the phase-space density and velocity distribution of weakly-interacting massive particles, a major class of dark matter particle candidates, in the Milky Way. In particular, the possibility of a non-trivial velocity-dependence in the self-annihilation cross-section from the Sommerfeld effect is considered in indirect detection; we derive an upper limit on the local velocity dispersion and examine the significance of local anisotropy in the local dark matter distribution in direct detection efforts.
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