Unveiling the nature of the dark matter (DM) in the Universe in one of the most fundamental open questions in science today. Indeed, in the standard cosmological scenario, around 85% of the matter in the Universe is in the form of a component that does not interact significantly with ordinary matter, thus remaining dark and invisible to our telescopes. Evidence has been accumulating over the past decades at all astrophysical scales. A plethora of particle candidates that fulfill the astrophysical requirements of this DM have been proposed, all of which implying new physics. Today, many of these DM candidates are being intensively searched for by extremely sensitive experiments around the world, but so far DM remains elusive.
The main motivation for the new Network is not only to continue with the work and momentum generated by MultiDark in the search for DM – by profiting of the structure established during its 10 years of existence – but also to open and explore new areas of DM research. DM is intensely searched for by several experiments around the world, involving a large number of scientists in its search through multiples techniques. Therefore, complementarity between the different DM search approaches is crucial, with transversal activities among our Working Groups being particularly useful. Our network is the ideal framework to coordinate efforts and exchange knowledge among the different research groups in Spain.
The goals of MultiDark Network are:
- To pursue the multidisciplinary approach in the search for DM, making use of the momentum generated by the previous MultiDark Consolider and Network, by profiting and making use of the structure established along these years.
- To strengthen existing synergies/collaborations among the nodes, create new ones, and expand international collaborations.
- To contribute to the development and success of those experimental collaborations in which our Network members are involved in.
- To keep boosting the scientific production of the Spanish DM community.
- To train new researchers in the field of DM research, putting them in close contact with the national experts and giving them a platform to access the international DM community.
- To disseminate the national DM research to the general public.