"Signatures of Beyond the Standard Model Physics, including dark matter, are currently being searched for with several observational channels, such as the LHC and direct detection experiments. These experiments already place constraints on several theoretical WIMP models, including weak-scale supersymmetry (SUSY), and will probe the bulk of this parameter space in the next 5 - 10 years. In this talk, I will present new constraints on the parameters of the constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (cMSSM) obtained from global fits including the LHC Higgs discovery, recent data from LHC SUSY searches and the XENON100 direct detection experiment. I will discuss the impact of astrophysics and particle physics uncertainties in interpreting the results from direct detection. I will also present the reach of future ton-scale direct detection experiments and illustrate how statistical fluctuations in the recoil energy spectrum can induce large systematic biases in the WIMP mass reconstruction even in a regime with hundreds of signal events. I will show how target complementarity can reduce - but not eliminate - such uncertainties."
Strege is a theorist; she is probing the unknown particle properties of dark matter through combining results from astrophysical, underground, and collider experiments.
The Dr. Pliny A. and Margaret H. Price Prize was established in 2009 by a generous gift of $127,000 from Steve Price and Jill Levy to support the Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics in the Department of Physics. The endowment is named after Steve's parents. Steve and Jill reside in Westerville and are admirers of the study of this science.
The Price Prize will be awarded annually to graduate students in recognition of research excellence in areas closely related to CCAPP science initiatives. Award recipients will be selected based on a review of their research in the areas of cosmology and astroparticle physics.
Price Prize winners will spend an extended period visiting CCAPP, give the Price Prize seminar on their research, and receive a $1500 honorarium. The continued generosity of the donors made it possible to offer two prizes this year.
http://www.ccapp.osu.edu/priceprize.html
