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Dark matter candidatesThe types of particles which may provide the nonluminous mass required by big-bang cosmological models are listed and briefly characterized. The observational evidence for the existence of dark matter (outweighing the luminous component by at least a factor of 10) is reviewed; the theoretical arguments favoring mainly nonbaryonic dark matter are summarized; and particular attention is given to weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) remaining as relics from the early universe. The WIMPs are classified as thermal relics (heavy stable neutrinos and lighter neutralinos), asymmetric relics (including baryons), nonthermal relics (superheavy magnetic monopoles, axions, and soliton stars), and truly exotic relics (relativistic debris or vacuum energy). Explanations for the current apparent baryon/exotica ratio of about 0.1 in different theoretical scenarios are considered, and the problems of experimental and/or observational dark-matter detection are examined.
Document ID
19900057040
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Turner, Michael S.
(NASAFermilab Astrophysics Center Batavia; Chicago, University, IL, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1989
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Meeting Information
Meeting: ESO-CERN Symposium on Astronomy, Cosmology and Fundamental Physics
Location: Bologna
Country: Italy
Start Date: May 16, 1988
End Date: May 20, 1988
Sponsors: Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, CNR, Universita di Bologna
Accession Number
90A44095
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: DE-AC02-80ER-10587
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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