The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope launched in June 2008 opening a new window on the highest energy sources in the universe. I will give a brief overview of how Fermi’s primary instrument, the Large Area Telescope (LAT), detects gamma-rays and its topics of study. One of the most exciting possibilities for the Fermi-LAT is the indirect detection of dark matter. Well-motivated and popular dark matter theory assumes that a significant component of dark matter is Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). I will go over WIMP basics, and the strategies involved in dark matter searches. Finally, I will talk about my work on the possibility to observe gamma lines from WIMP annihilation into gamma-gamma and gamma-Z final states. Detection of these lines would give convincing evidence for the existence of WIMPs and the WIMP mass.

Location: Physics Bldg., Room 401