Abstract
Cosmology now provides unambiguous, quantitative evidence for new particle physics. I discuss the implications of cosmology for supersymmetry and vice versa. Topics include: motivations for supersymmetry; supersymmetry breaking; dark energy; freeze out and WIMPs; neutralino dark matter; cosmologically preferred regions of minimal supergravity; direct and indirect detection of neutralinos; the DAMA and HEAT signals; inflation and reheating; gravitino dark matter; Big Bang nucleosynthesis; and the cosmic microwave background. I conclude with speculations about the prospects for a microscopic description of the dark universe, stressing the necessity of diverse experiments on both sides of the particle physics/cosmology interface.
Highlights
Cosmology provides unambiguous, quantitative evidence for new particle physics
If one looks hard enough, minimal supergravity contains a wide variety of dark matter possibilities, and it will serve as a useful framework for illustrating many points below
We will consider various regions of minimal supergravity parameter space where qualitatively distinct mechanisms lead to neutralino dark matter with the desired thermal relic density
Summary
Particle physicists could often be heard bemoaning the lack of unambiguous, quantitative evidence for physics beyond their standard model. Both the central values and uncertainties were unthinkable even just a few years ago These measurements provide clear and surprisingly precise evidence that the known particles make up only a small fraction of the total energy density of the universe. More than that, it naturally provides dark matter candidates with approximately the right relic density. It naturally provides dark matter candidates with approximately the right relic density This fact provides a strong, fundamental, and completely independent motivation for supersymmetric theories. The discussion below will touch on a variety of subjects, it will focus on dark matter, where the connections between supersymmetry and cosmology are concrete and rich, the abovementioned quantitative evidence is especially tantalizing, and the role of experiments is clear and promising. I conclude in Sec. 5 with speculations about the future prospects for a microscopic understanding of the dark universe
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