Astroparticle Physics: Neutrinos and Dark Matter

This lecture covers the dynamics of the Universe, from the Planck scale to the origin of matter, focusing on the thermal history and decoupling of neutrinos. It explores the relic neutrino background, neutrino mass density, and the potential of neutrinos as dark matter candidates. The discussion extends to Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), their freeze-out density, and interaction cross-section. The lecture also delves into observational tools like Gaia for stellar kinematics and the rotation pattern of the Galaxy. It concludes with numerical exercises on neutrino decoupling and WIMP abundance in the Milky Way.