Nolting, Christopher2014-10-012014-10-012014-10-01https://hdl.handle.net/11299/166530I performed analysis of dark matter halo data from the Millennium II simulation and t the resulting energy and density distributions to the predictions of the DARKexp model. For halos near virial equilibrium, I found DARKexp to t the simulated data well, supporting it as a theoretical model for the distribution of matter in galaxies. I also discuss the methods of data analysis and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method used for fitting.en-USSumma Cum LaudeAstrophysicsCollege of Science and EngineeringThesis or Dissertation