Professor Dan Hooper
Dan Hooper, Ph.D. is Associate Scientist in the Theoretical
Astrophysics Group at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and
Assistant Professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at
the University of Chicago.
Dan’s research focuses on the interface between particle physics and
cosmology. Particle physics explores the fundamental nature of energy
and matter, while cosmology is the science of the universe itself,
including its composition, history and evolution. Some of the areas of
this field that he has worked on include dark matter, supersymmetry,
high-energy neutrinos, extra dimensions, and ultra-high energy cosmic
rays.
As the new field of astro-particle physics rapidly develops, we are
witnessing an exciting time in the history of science. In addition to
the progress being made in the traditional areas of experimental
particle physics (accelerator experiments), exciting developments are
also taking place in the use of astrophysical experiments to study
elementary particles. The most striking example of this success is the
measurement of the neutrino masses and mixing angles that have been made
over the last decade.
Many of the questions asked by
particle physicists
are difficult to address with collider experiments and are being
explored ever increasingly by astrophysicists. These efforts include the
development of particle dark matter searches, ultra-high energy cosmic
rays detectors, gamma-ray telescopes, and high-energy neutrino
telescopes. His research is focused primarily, although not entirely, on
studying and exploring particle physics beyond the Standard Model using
astrophysics.
Dan authored
Nature’s Blueprint: Supersymmetry and the Search for a Unified Theory
of
Matter and Force,
Dark Cosmos: In Search of Our Universe’s Missing Mass and
Energy,
and coauthored
Distinguishing Between Dark Matter and Pulsar Origins of the ATIC
Electron Spectrum With Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes,
Pulsars as the Sources of High Energy Cosmic Ray Positrons,
High Energy Positrons From Annihilating Dark Matter,
Deducing the nature of dark matter from direct and indirect detection
experiments in the absence of collider signatures of new
physics, and
The New DAMA Dark-Matter Window and Energetic-Neutrino
Searches.
Dan was the David Schramm Fellow at Fermilab and Postdoc at the
University of Oxford. He completed his Ph.D in physics at the
University of Wisconsin in 2003.
Watch
In Search of our Universe’s Missing Mass and Energy,
The Big Bang Theory,
Supersymmetry and the Search for Dark Matter,
The Expanding Universe, and
Black Holes.
Listen to
Large Hadron Collider Set to Start Up.
Read
Has dark matter’s telltale signature been spotted?,
Pulsars put new spin on evidence for dark matter, and
Has new physics been found at the ageing Tevatron?