Materia oscura e riscaldamento cinetico delle stelle di neutroni

Dark matter is one of the main open problems of the modern physics. Although its existence is strongly supported by evidence, its foundamental nature is still unknown. Several thoeretical models predict the interactions between dark matter particles and visible matter, motivating experimental search strategies. These include direct detection, from underground terrestrial laboratories, indirect astrophysical searches and collider attempts of dark matter production. Despite the efforts, terrestial direct detection have so far only set constrains between dark matter and visible matter interactions. This has led to an extension of the traditional direct detections, from terrestrial experiments to new approaches, where astronomical objects serve as "cosmic laboratories". This thesis, in particular, focuses on dark kinetic heating of neutron stars, which happens when dark matter from the galactic halo falls into the neutron star's gravitational potential and scatters with its constituents. The recoil energy resulting from the interaction is then transferred to the star and contributes to its reheating. A sufficient old neutron star is supposed to be cold enough that the reheating becomes significant. If radio telescopes find old neutron stars O(10^9 year), then infrared telescopes as JWST, would be able to detect the dark kinetic heating.