The cosmological relic density of the lightest supersymmetric particle of the minimal supersymmetric standard model is calculated under the assumption of gauge and Yukawa coupling unification. We employ radiative electroweak breaking with universal boundary conditions from gravitymediated supersymmetry breaking. Coannihilation of the lightest supersymmetric particle, which turns out to be an al...

This review on weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter direct detection focuses on experimental approaches and the corresponding physics basics. The presentation is intended to provide a quick and concise introduction for non-specialists to this fast evolving topic of astroparticle physics.

There is mounting evidence for dark matter in the Universe and one of the favourite dark matter candidates is the neutralino, which naturally appears as the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) in many supersymmetric extensions of the standard model. The neutralino has the desired properties to be a good dark matter candidate and we will here review the different indirect searches for neutral...

In the framework of the Constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model we discuss the impact of the recent experimental information, especially from the E821 Brookhaven experiment on gμ − 2 along with the light Higgs boson mass bound from LEP, in delineating regions of the parameters which are consistent with cosmological data. The effect of these to the Dark Matter direct searches is also d...

The negative outcome of searches for supersymmetry performed at LEP have been used to derive indirect constraints on the parameters of the most plausible supersymmetric candidates for cold dark matter, in particular for the lightest neutralino. We review the basic ideas leading to the present lower limit on the lightest neutralino mass of about 37 GeV/c2, with emphasis on the underlying assumpt...

In this talk we analyse the claim that supersymmetry (SUSY) naturally accounts for the observed dark matter density. In many cases, it is necessary to tune the parameters of a SUSY model to fit the WMAP data. We provide a quantitative analysis of the degree of tuning required for different annihilation channels. Some regions are natural, requiring no tuning at all, whereas others require tuning...

We propose to implement one passive nuclear track detector array of 400 m at the Chacaltaya High Altitude Laboratory (5230 m a.s.l.). The main purposes of the experiment concern the searches for magnetic monopoles of relatively low masses at the Parker bound level, searches for low mass nuclearites, and searches for some supersymmetric dark matter candidates (Q-balls).

The standard model involves particle symmetry and the mechanism of its breaking. Modern cosmology is based on inflationary models with baryosynthesis and dark matter/energy, which involves physics beyond the standard model. Studies of the physical basis of modern cosmology combine direct searches for new physics at accelerators with its indirect non-accelerator probes, in which cosmological con...