REGIS M. - Progetto ASI/INAF 2017-14/H.0 dal titolo "Deciphering the high-energy sky via angular cross correlations"
Progetto The structures present in the Universe are able to form and survive thanks to the presence of a
form of matter, known as dark matter (DM). Although we observe its gravitational effects which hold
structures together, nothing is known about the fundamental nature of DM, and this is one of the
driving mysteries of physics today. The main goal of this project is to investigate the particle nature of
DM by searching for X- and -rays originated from DM decay or annihilation. To this aim, we will
analyse the angular cross-correlation between surveys of the large scale structure of the Universe
(probing the DM distribution via gravity) and X- and -ray maps. As a by-product, this study will lead
to a deeper understanding of the astrophysical mechanisms contributing to the X- and -ray unresolved
extragalactic backgrounds in the faint regime, where the statistical approach adopted in this project is
more powerful than investigations with single target observations.