Tim Linden (U Chicago) “What is the Source of the Galactic Center Gamma-Ray Excess?”

Seminar Organizer


Event Details


Precision observations by the Fermi-LAT telescope have uncovered a
significant gamma-ray excess emanating from the Galactic Center. This
result is particularly exciting, since its spectrum and morphology
match predictions from annihilating dark matter. However, several
reasonable astrophysical explanations also exist, including emission
from a yet-undiscovered population of gamma-ray pulsars. In this talk,
I will discuss the current state of Fermi-LAT observations and
theoretical models of the Galactic Center, focusing on recent and
upcoming studies which may definitively determine the source of the
gamma-ray excess.