This transversal project aims to explore the fundamental nature of one of the main constituents of the Universe: non-baryonic dark matter (DM).

The nature of DM is one of the key questions in science. Its manifestation as an additional source of matter needed to explain astrophysical and cosmological observations implies either a breakdown of General Relativity or that the current Standard Model of Particle Physics is incomplete. Determining the fundamental nature of dark matter has been identified as a priority for the future of astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics, driving extensive observational and theoretical efforts worldwide and holding the potential for groundbreaking insights into the Universe.

The aim of this project is to benefit from the complementary expertise of IAC researchers to further strengthen the research activities in this area and to coordinate them towards shared and high impact goals. This will be achieved through an all-round approach where (i) gravitational probes (e.g. structure and dynamics of dwarf galaxies, streams, strong and weak lensing) are used to uncover the properties of DM on a range of galactic scales exploiting cutting-edge data-sets as Gaia, 4MOST, WEAVE, LSST, Euclid, in close connection with (ii) numerical astrophysicists that analyze and/or simulate the formation of DM structures in different DM frameworks and its interplay with baryonic matter; and (iii) particle physicists that aim to detect DM particles (either directly or indirectly) using astrophysical sources.