Research summary
The existence of dark matter, which makes up the majority of the mass of our Universe, is one of the greatest mysteries of modern science—and exploring it requires new physics beyond the Standard Model. (The Standard Model suggests that the universe was created in a “Big Bang” and is composed mainly of dark energy and dark matter along with some ordinary matter.)
Dr. Katelin Schutz, Canada Research Chair in Astrophysics Beyond the Standard Model, believes that astrophysical systems can be viewed as naturally occurring experiments because the effects of physics beyond the Standard Model can observably alter these systems. She and her research team are testing a range of dark matter theories using diverse astrophysical systems that span many orders of magnitude in mass, length and time. Their work will significantly advance our understanding of the fundamental nature of dark matter and its role in shaping our Universe.