TheTMysteriousTMissingT

MatterT:TTheTDarkTMatter

Brajalta
TDepartmentTOfTPhysicsT
SanskritiTUniversity

ATdesertationTsubmittedTinTpartialTfulfilmentTofTrequirementsTofTtheTdegreeofTma
sterTofTphysics,TTheTSanskritiTUniversity.

JulyT2019
 Abstract
TheTmysteriousTmatterTisTtheTmatterTthatThasTmadeTtheT99.5%
TofTtheTuniverse.TTheTuniverseTconsistTosTonlyT0.5T
%ofTtheTvisibleTmatterT.theTmysteriousTmatterThasTgrownTinter
estTinTmanyTmindsTtowardsTit.manyTtheoriesTareTgivenTforTit.
TAxionsT
areTsaidTtoTbeTtheTpartTofTthisTdarkTmatterT.TalsoTtheTWIMP’
sTtheoryTtalksTaboutTtheTweaklyTinteractionsTinTtheTuniverseT.
dueTtoTthisTdarkTmatterTanTauraTofTenergyTisTbeingTfelledTwh
ichTisTalsoTgivingTaThardTtimeTtoTletTusTknowTaboutTit.Tdark
TmatterTisTalsoTbeingTassociatedTwithTtheTbigTbangTandTtheT
originTofTtheTuniverseTheTpatterningTofTthisTrelicTlightTholdsT
manyTimportantTcluesTtoTtheTdevelopmentTandTdistributionTofT
large-scaleTstructuresTsuchTasTgalaxiesTandTgalaxyTclusters..
KeyTwords:TdarkTmatterT,TweaklyTinteractionsT,TaxionsT,bigTb
angT,originTofTuniverse,clusters,WIMP’s.
 Acknowledgement
IThaveTtakenTeffortsTinTdoingTthisTdesertation.THowever,TitTwo
uldThaveTbeenTimpossibleTwithoutTtheTkindTsupportTandThelpT
ofTmyTmentors,TparentsTandTorganization.TWeTwouldTalsoTlike
TtoTextendTmyTsincereTthanksTtoTallTofTthemTwhoThaveTknow
inglyTorTunknowinglyTgivenTusTtheirTsupportTinTtheTcompletio
nTofTthisTdesertation.T
ITamThighlyTindebtedTtoTSanskritiTUniversityTforTtheTguidance
TprovidedTbyTourTmentorsT,TandTtheirTconstantTsupervisionTfor
TtheTcompletionTofTtheTdesertationTandTalsoTprovidingTtheTcon
stantTsupportTduringTtheTtimeTperiod.
ITwouldTalsoTlikeTtoTexpressTourTgratitudeTtowardsTourTparent
s,TfriendsTandTbatchTmatesencouragementTthatThelpedTmeTinTc
ompletionTofTthisTdesertationTwithTtheirTabilitiesandTprofessiona
lism.
ITconsiderTmyselfTasTaTveryTluckyTindividualTasTITwasTprovid
edTwithTanTopportunityTtoTbeTaTpartTofTSanaskritiTUniversity.T
ITamTalsoTgratefulTforThavingTaTchanceTtoTmeetTsoTmanyTwo
nderfulTpeopleTandTprofessionalsTwhoTledTmeTthoughTthisTdiss
ertation.
ITamTusingTthisTopportunityTtoTexpressTmyTgratitudeTtoTevery
oneTwhoTsupportedTmeTthroughoutTtheTcourseTofTthisTM.Sc.de
ssertation.TITamTthankfulTforTtheirTaspiringTguidance,Tinvaluabl
yTconstructiveTcriticismTandTfriendyTadviceTduringTtheTprojectT
work.TITamTsincerelyTgratefulTtoTthemTforTsharingTtheirTtruthf
ulTandTilluminatingTviewsTonTaTnumberTofTissuesTrelatedTtoT
theTdessertation.
ITperceiveTasTthisTopportunityTasTaTbigTmilestoneTinTmyTcaree
rTdevelopment.TITwillTstriveTtoTuseTgainedTskillsTandTknowled
geTinTtheTbestTpossibleTway,TandTITwillTcontinueTtoTworkTon
TtheirTimprovement,TinTorderTtoTattainTdesiredTcareerTobjective
s.THopeTtoTcontinueTcooperationTwithTallTofTyouTinTtheTfuture
,
ITamTveryTgratefulTforTallTyourTsupportTandTloveTforTme.
Content

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 TheTmissingTmatter
I. DarkTmatterTcouldTbeTmadeTupTofTaxions
II. DarkTmatterTmayTbeTolderTthanTbigTband
III. NewTwayTtoTdeductTmissingTmatter
IV. DarkTmatterTmayTbeTformedTafterToriginTofTuniverse
V. ATnewTfilterTtoTbetterTmapTtheTdarkTuniverse

Chapter 3 ResearchTmethodologyT

Chapter 4 Result

Chapter 5 ConclusionT

Chapter 6 References
 Introduction
TheTmatterTthatTsurroundsTusTisTtheTmatterTthatTisTvisibleTtoT
us.TbutTitTsomeTtimesToccursTthatTifTearthTandTplanets,TstarsT
andTclustersTareTmadeTupTofTvisibleTmatterTthanTwhatTisToute
rTspaceTmadeTupTof.TThisTquestionTwasTansweredTinT1933Tby
TFritzTZwickyT.andTfurtherTstudiesTsaidTthatTtheTouterTspaceTi
sTmadeTupTofTtheTmatterTcalledTasTmissingTmatterT,TwhichTfu
rtherTwasTlabeledTasTtheTdarkTmatter.TAfterTseveralTyearsTlatte
rTitTwasTcalledTasTtheTmysteriousTmatterTbyTtheTscientistsTdue
TtoTitsTabilityTtoTremainTtheTmystryTtoTtheTcalculativeTandTex
pertTeyes.
ItTwasTfoundTthatTtheTuniverseTmostlyTconsistsTofTtheTdarkTm
atterTandTonlyT0.5T
%TisTtheTvisibleTmatter.TManyTtheoriesTareTgivenTinTtoTthisTs
ubjectTbyTmanyTscientists.TTheyThasTtheTassumptionsTthatTmay
TbeTdarkTmatterTisTmadeTupTofTtheTaxionsTwhichTlighterTthan
TtheTmatterTparticals,TalsoTtheyThadTmanyTotherTtheoriesTlikeT
WIMPsT.
TheTdarkTmatterTmayTbeTolderTthanTthatTofTbigTbangTasTitTgi
vesTusTtheTsignsTandTalsoTitTshowsTtheTgravitationalTpullTbet
weenTtheTtwoTtypesTofTmatter.TThereTareTsomeTmoreTassumpti
onsTaboutTtheTmysteriousTmatterTthatTareTmayTbeTitTwasTform
edTshortlyTafterTtheToriginTofTtheTuniverse.T
WhileTnotTmuchTisTknownTaboutTitsTorigins,TastronomersThave
TshownTthatTdarkTmatterTplaysTaTcrucialTroleTinTtheTformation
TofTgalaxiesTandTgalaxyTclusters.TThoughTnotTdirectlyTobserva
ble,TscientistsTknowTdarkTmatterTexistsTbyTitsTgravitationTeffect
sTonThowTvisibleTmatterTmovesTandTisTdistributedTinTspace.
ForTaTlongTtime,TresearchersTbelievedTthatTdarkTmatterTmustTb
eTaTleftoverTsubstanceTfromTtheTBigTBang.TResearchersThaveTl
ongTsoughtTthisTkindTofTdarkTmatter,TbutTsoTfarTallTexperimen
talTsearchesThaveTbeenTunsuccessful.
ManyTphysicistsTbelieveTthatTdarkTmatterTisTmadeTupTofTsome
TparticleTyetTtoTbeTdiscovered.TForTsomeTtime,TtheTfavoriteTca
ndidateThasTbeenTtheTWeaklyTInteractingTMassiveTParticleTorT
WIMP.TButTdespiteTyearsTofTeffort,TWIMPsThaveTsoTfarTnotTs
hownTupTinTexperimentsTdesignedTtoTdetectTthem.TSoTscientist
sTareTnowTredoublingTtheirTeffortsTbyTdesigningTnewTandTnim
bleTexperimentsTthatTcanTlookTforTdarkTmatterTinTpreviouslyTu
nexploredTrangesTofTparticleTmassTandTenergy,TandTusingTprevi
ouslyTuntestedTmethods.TTheTnewTapproach,TratherTthanTrelyin
gTonTaTfewTlargeTexperiments'T"nets"TtoTtryTtoTsnareToneTtyp
eTofTdarkTmatter,TisTakinTtoTcastingTmanyTsmallerTnetsTwithT
muchTfinerTmesh.
DarkTmatterTcouldTbeTmuchT"lighter,"TorTlowerTinTmassTandT
slighterTinTenergy,TthanTpreviouslyTthought.TItTcouldTbeTcompo
sedTofTtheoretical,TwavelikeTultralightTparticlesTknownTasTaxion
s.TItTcouldTbeTpopulatedTbyTaTwildTkingdomTfilledTwithTmany
TspeciesTofTas-yet-
undiscoveredTparticles.TAndTitTmayTnotTbeTcomposedTofTpartic
lesTatTall.
TheMysteriousMissingTMatterT:TDarkTMatter
ATlargeTfractionTofTtheTmassTofTourTUniverseTisTmadeToutTof
TanTexotic,Tnon-
baryonicTcomponentTthatTisTfundamentallyTdifferentTfromTtheTo
rdinaryTmatterTthatTformsTvisibleTobjectsTsuchTasTstars,Tplanets
,TgalaxiesTandTgalaxyTclustersTisTcalledTDarkTMatter.TDarkTma
tterTisTaTcomponentTofTtheTuniverseT,whoseTpresenceTisTrecog
nizedTfromTitsTgravitationalTattractionTratherTthanTitsTluminous
Tproperty.TDarkTmatterTmakesTupTaroundT30.1TpercentTofTtheT
wholeTmatter-
energyTcompositionTofTtheTuniverse.TTheTrestTisTdarkTenergyT(
69.4Tpercent)TandT“ordinary”TvisibleTmatterT(0.5Tpercent).itTme
ansTthatTonlyTaTcertainTpartTofTuniverseTisTvisibleTtoTusTi.eT
weTcanTseeTonlyTaTpartTofTthisTvastTuniverse.
matter-energyTcontentTofTtheTuniverseMatter-
energyTcontentTofTtheTuniverse.EncyclopædiaTBritannica,TInc

TOriginallyTknownTasT“missingTmass,”TtheTdarkTmatter’sTexiste
nceTwasTfirstlyTinferredTbyTaTSwissTAmericanTastronomerTnam
edTFritzTZwicky,TwhoTinT1933TdiscoveredTthatTallTtheTstarsTi
nTtheTComaTclusterTofTgalaxiesTmassTisTonlyTaboutT1T
%TofTtheTmassTthatTisTneededTtoTkeepTtheTgalaxiesTfromTesc
apingTtheTcluster’sTgravitationalTpull.TThisTmissingTmassTisTbei
ngTamisteryTfromTaTveryTlongTtime.T
AlsoTthisTmatterTdoesTnotTscatterTorTemitTanyTtypeTofTlightTh
ence,TnamedTasTdarkTmatterT.[1]

OverTtimeTandTagainT,TscientistsThaveTdevelopedTdifferentTtheo
riesTtoTexactlyTexplainTwhatTtheTmysteriousTdarkTmatterTmight
TbeTmadeTupTof.TResearchersThaveTspentTmanyTyearsTtryingTt
oThuntTdownTtheTweaklyTinteractingTmassiveTparticlesTwithTpa
rticleTdetectors,butTareTnotTyetTsuccessful.
SomeTofTtheseTtheoriesTareTgivenTbelow
DarkTMatterTCouldTBeTMadeTOfTAxions
TAmongTtheTpotentialTcandidatesTthatTcameTintoTtheTquestionT
areTweaklyTinteractingTlargeTparticlesTorTWIMPsTforTtheTmass
TofTtheTmissingTmatter.TResearchersThaveTspentTmanyTyearsTin
TtryingTtoThuntTtheseTdownTwithTparticleTdetectors,TbutTareTn
otTsuccessfulTyet.TfewTyearsTago,Thowever,TscientistsTproposed
TanTalternativeT--
TaTclassTofTparticlesTcalledTaxions,TwhichTareTsignificantlyTlig
hterTthanTotherTparticlesTpresent.TAccordingTtoTtheTtheory,Tthe
TfieldTofTtheseTparticlesToscillates,TandTitTmeansTthatTitTvaries
Tcontinuously.TTheTfrequencyTofTthisToscillationTisTproportional
TtoTtheTmassTofTtheTparticles,Tand,TasTthisTisTextremelyTlow,T
theTfrequencyTmuatTbeTlowTessentially.TButTitsunknownTtoTeve
ryoneTjustTyetTifTthatTisTtheTcase.TTheTproblemTisTthatTtheTfi
eldToscillationTisTasTlikelyTtoTgoTthroughTaTcompleteTcycleTon
ceTaTyearTasTaTtrillionTtimesTaTsecond.{2}
DarkTMatterTMightTBeTOlderTThanTThatT
OfTBigTBang
"TheTstudyTrevealedTaTnewTconnectionTbetweenTparticleTphysic
sTandTastronomy.TIfTdarkTmatterTconsistsTofTnewTparticlesTthat
TwereTbornTbeforeTtheTBigTBang,TtheyTaffectTtheTwayTgalaxie
sTareTdistributedTinTtheTskyTinTaTuniqueTway.TThisTconnection
TmayTbeTusedTtoTrevealTtheirTidentityTandTmakeTconclusionsT
aboutTtheTtimesTbeforeTtheTBigTBangTtoo,"TsaysTTommiTenkan
en,TaTpostdoctoralTfellowTinTPhysicsTandTAstronomyTatTtheTJo
hnsTHopkinsTUniversityTandTtheTstudy'sTauthor.
WhileTnotTmuchTisTknownTaboutTtheToriginTofTtheTdarkTmatte
r,theTastronomersThaveTshownTthatTdarkTmatterTplaysTanTimpor
tantTroleTinTtheTformationTofTgalaxiesTandTclustersTofTgalaxies
.TThoughTcanTnotTbeTobservedTdirectly,TbutTscientistsTknowTd
arkTmatterTexistsTbyTitsTgravitationalTeffectsTonThowTvisibleT
matterTmovesTandTitsTdistributionTinTspace.
FromTaTlongTtime,TresearchersThaveTbelievedTthatTtheTdarkTm
atterTmustTbeTaTleftoverTsubjectTmatterTfromTtheTBigTBang.TR
esearchersThaveTlongTsoughtTthisTkindTofTdarkTmatter,TbutTsoT
farTallTexperimentalTsearchesThaveTnotTbeenTsuccessfulTyet.
"IfTdarkTmatterTwereTtrulyTaTremnantTofTtheTBigTBang,TthenT
inTmanyTcasesTresearchersTshouldThaveTseenTaTdirectTsignalTof
TdarkTmatterTinTdifferentTparticleTphysicsTexperimentsTalready,"
TsaysTTenkanen.
"WeTdoTnotTknowTwhatTdarkTmatterTis,TbutTifTitThasTanythin
gTtoTdoTwithTanyTscalarTparticles,TitTmayTbeTolderTthanTtheT
BigTBang.TWithTtheTproposedTmathematicalTscenario,TweTdon't
ThaveTtoTassumeTnewTtypesTofTinteractionsTbetweenTvisibleTan
dTdarkTmatterTbeyondTgravity,TwhichTweTalreadyTknowTisTther
e,"TexplainsTTenkanen.
WhileTtheTideaTofTexistenceTofTdarkTmatterTbeforeTtheTBigTB
angTisTnotTnew,TotherTtheoristsThaveTnotTbeenTableTtoTcomeT
upTwithTcalculationsTthatTsupportTtheTidea.TTheTnewTstudyTsh
owsTthatTresearchersThaveTalwaysToverlookedTtheTsimplestTposs
ibleTmathematicalTscenarioTforTdarkTmatter'sTorigins,TheTsays.
TheTnewTstudyTalsoTsuggestedTaTwayTofTtestingTdarkTmatter’s
ToriginTbyTobservingTtheTsignaturesTthatTdarkTmatterTleavesTth
roughTtheTdistributionTofTmatterTinTtheTuniverse.
"WhileTthisTtypeTofTdarkTmatterTisTtooTelusiveTtoTbeTfoundTi
nTparticleTexperiments,TitTcanTrevealTitsTpresenceTinTastronomi
calTobservations.TWeTwillTsoonTlearnTmoreTaboutTtheToriginTo
fTdarkTmatterTwhenTtheTEuclidTsatelliteTisTlaunchedTinT2022.T
It'sTgoingTtoTbeTveryTexcitingTtoTseeTwhatTitTwillTrevealTabou
tTdarkTmatterTandTifTitsTfindingsTcanTbeTusedTtoTpeekTintoTth
eTtimesTbeforeTtheTBigTBang."[3]
ATNewTWayTToTDetectTMissingTMatter
TheTphysicistTPaulTDiracTsaidTthatTanTelectronTwhichTmovesTi
nTaTcircleTnearTaTmonopoleTwouldTchangeTitsTphaseTinTitsTw
aveTfunction.TAsTelectronsTexistTinTbothTparticlesTandTwavesT
natureTinTquantumTtheory,TtheTsameTelectronTcouldTpassTonTei
therTsideTofTtheTmonopoleTandTasTaTresultTbeTslightlyToutTof
TphaseTonTtheTotherTside.
ThisTinterferenceTpattern,TcalledTtheTAharonov-
BohmTeffect,TmeansTthatTanTelectronTpassingTaroundTaTmagnet
icTfieldTisTinfluencedTbyTit,TevenTifTitTdoesTnotTpassTthrough
TtheTfieldTitself.
TerningTandTVerhaarenTargueTthatTyouTcouldTdetectTaTdarkTmo
nopoleTbecauseTofTtheTwayTitTshiftsTtheTphaseTofTelectronsTas
TtheyTpassTby.
"ThisTisTaTnewTtypeTofTdarkTmatterTbutTitTcomesTwithTaTne
wTwayTtoTlookTforTitTasTwell,"TTerningsaid.[4]
DarkTMatterTMightTHaveTBeenTFormedTSh
ortlyTAfterTTheTOriginTOfTTheTUniverseT
TheTstabilityTofTdarkTmatterTisTusuallyTexplainedTbyTaTsymme
tryTprinciple.THowever,TinTtheirTpaper,TDr.TMichaelTBakerTand
TProf.TJoachimTKoppTdemonstrateTthatTtheTuniverseTmayThave
TgoneTthroughTaTphaseTduringTwhichTthisTsymmetryTwasTbrok
en.TThisTwouldTmeanTthatTitTisTpossibleTforTtheThypotheticalT
darkTmatterTparticleTtoTdecay.TDuringTtheTelectroweakTphaseTtr
ansition,TtheTsymmetryTthatTstabilizedTtheTdarkTmatterTwouldT
haveTbeenTre-
established,TthatTenabledTitTtoTcontinueTtoTexistTinTtheTunivers
eTtoTtheTpresentTday.
WithTtheirTnewTtheory,TBakerTandTKoppThaveTintroducedTaTne
wTprincipleTintoTtheTdebateTaboutTtheTnatureTofTdarkTmatterTt
hatToffersTanTalternativeTtoTtheTwidelyTacceptedTWIMPTtheory.
TTillTnow,TweaklyTinteractingTmassiveTparticles,ThaveTbeenTreg
ardedTasTtheTmostTlikelyTcomponentsTofTdarkTmatter,TandTexp
erimentsTinvolvingTheavilyTshieldedTundergroundTdetectorsThave
TbeenTcarriedToutTtoTlookTforTthem.T"TheTabsenceTofTanyTco
nvincingTsignalsTcausedTusTtoTstartTlookingTforTalternativesTto
TtheTWIMPTparadigm,"TsaidTKopp.[5]

ATNewTFilterTToTBetterTMapTTheTDarkTU
niverse
DistortionsTinTtheTcosmicTmicrowaveTbackgroundT(CMB),Tcaus
edTbyTaTphenomenonTknownTasTlensing,TcanTfurtherTilluminate
TtheTstructureTofTtheTuniverseTandTcanTevenTtellTusTthingsTab
outTtheTmysterious,TunseenTuniverseT--
TincludingTdarkTenergy,TwhichTmakesTupTaboutT68TpercentTof
TtheTuniverseTandTaccountsTforTitsTacceleratingTexpansion,Tand
TdarkTmatter,TwhichTaccountsTforTaboutT27TpercentTofTtheTuni
verse.
InTlensingTofTtheTCMB,TgravityTeffectsTfromTlargeTobjectsTlik
eTgalaxiesTandTgalaxyTclustersTbendTtheTCMBTlightTinTdiffere
ntTways.TTheseTlensingTeffectsTcanTbeTsubtleT(knownTasTweak
Tlensing)TforTdistantTandTsmallTgalaxies,TandTcomputerTprogra
msTcanTidentifyTthemTbecauseTtheyTdisruptTtheTregularTCMBT
patterning.
ThereTareTsomeTknownTissuesTwithTtheTaccuracyTofTlensingTm
easurements,Tthough,TandTparticularlyTwithTtemperature-
basedTmeasurementsTofTtheTCMBTandTassociatedTlensingTeffect
s.
WhileTlensingTcanTbeTaTpowerfulTtoolTforTstudyingTtheTinvisib
leTuniverse,TandTcouldTevenTpotentiallyThelpTusTsortToutTtheT
propertiesTofTghostlyTsubatomicTparticlesTlikeTneutrinos,TtheTun
iverseTisTanTinherentlyTmessyTplace.
TheTeffectsTofTthisTinterferenceTwithTtemperature-
basedTCMBTstudiesTcanTleadTtoTerroneousTlensingTmeasuremen
ts,TsaidTEmmanuelTSchaan,TaTpostdoctoralTresearcherTandTOwe
nTChamberlainTPostdoctoralTFellowTinTtheTPhysicsTDivisionTat
TtheTDepartmentTofTEnergy'sTLawrenceTBerkeleyTNationalTLab
oratoryT(BerkeleyTLab).
"YouTcanTbeTwrongTandTnotTknowTit,"TSchaanTsaid.T"TheTexi
stingTmethodsTdon'tTworkTperfectlyT--
TtheyTareTreallyTlimiting."[6]
 ResearchTMethodology
TheTresearchTproblemTthatTweTfacedTwas”TwhatTisTdarkTmatte
rT?”TWeTwereTsoTfascinatedTbyTtheTquestionTthatTweTdecided
TtoTmakeTthisTourTdesertationTtopic.
TTheTpastTfewTdecadesThaveTusheredTinTanTamazingTeraTinTt
heTscienceTofTcosmology.TATdiverseTarrayTofThigh-
precisionTmeasurementsThasTallowedTusTtoTreconstructTourTuniv
erse’sThistoryTinTremarkableTdetail.
AndTwhenTweTcompareTdifferentTmeasurementsT–
TofTtheTexpansionTrateTofTtheTuniverse,TtheTpatternsTofTlightT
releasedTinTtheTformationTofTtheTfirstTatoms,TtheTdistributionsT
inTspaceTofTgalaxiesTandTgalaxyTclustersTandTtheTabundancesT
ofTvariousTchemicalTspeciesT–
TweTfindTthatTtheyTallTtellTtheTsameTstory,TandTallTsupportTth
eTsameTseriesTofTevents.
ThisTlineTofTresearchThas,Tfrankly,TbeenTmoreTsuccessfulTthanT
ITthinkTweThadTanyTrightTtoThaveThoped.TWeTknowTmoreTab
outTtheToriginTandThistoryTofTourTuniverseTtodayTthanTalmostT
anyoneTaTfewTdecadesTagoTwouldThaveTguessedTthatTweTwoul
dTlearnTinTsuchTaTshortTtime.
ButTdespiteTtheseTveryTconsiderableTsuccesses,TthereTremainsT
muchTmoreTtoTbeTlearned.TAndTinTsomeTways,TtheTdiscoveries
TmadeTinTrecentTdecadesThaveTraisedTasTmanyTnewTquestions
TasTtheyThaveTanswered.SinceTallTtheTaccumulatedTevidenceTis
Tindirect,TbasedTonTtheTgravitationalTeffectsTofTdarkTmatter,T
theTintrinsicTnatureTofTthisTnewTformTofTmatterTisTnotTknown.
TTheTleadingTtheoreticalTassumptionTisTthatTdarkTmatterTisTma
deTofTnew,TelementaryTparticles.TWhileTtheTStandardTModelTof
TparticleTphysicsTdoesTnotTcontainTaTviableTcandidate,Tparticle
TphysicsTbeyondTtheTStandardTModelTmayTwellTprovideTaTkey
TingredientTtowardsTourTunderstandingTofTtheTcompositionTofTt
heTCosmos.
 Result
InTthisTworkTweTfoundTthatTthereTareTmanyTtheoriesTgivenTin
TtheTcontextTofTtheTmysteriousTmatter,TbutTallTareTbeingTinTth
eirTworkingTprocessT.TThisTgivesTthisTresearchTanTopenTend.T
WhereTweTcanTsayTthatTtheTmysteriousTmatterTisTreallyTbeing
TaTmysteryTforTallTofTusT.TItTmayTbeTtakingTtimeTtoTshowTit
sTexistenceTorTmayTbeTplayingTaTgameTwithTus.TItTwillTsurel
yTcomeTtoTunderstandingToneTday,TmayTbeTweTareTmissingTso
meTpointsTthatTareTimportantTforTusTtoTknowTaboutTtheTdarkT
mysteriousTmissingTmatter.TNotTonlyThaveTdarkTmatterTstructur
esTbeenTconstantlyTevolvingTthroughTgravity,TweTknowTthatTth
eTpropertiesTofTgalaxiesT–
TsuchTasTtheirTmassTandTstarTformationTratesT–
TareTstronglyTdependentTonTtheirTlarge-
scaleTenvironment.TWeTstillTdon’tTfullyTunderstandTthatTlink,Tb
utTsomeTexperimentsTmayThelpTusTcrackThowTitThappens.
TheTdarkTmatterTfieldTisTanTintenseTareaTofTresearch,TwithTthe
TproblemTbeingTaddressedTonTseveralTcomplementaryTfronts.TA
strophysicalTobservationsTsuchTasTofTtheTcosmicTmicrowaveTba
ckgroundTradiation,TofTtheTclusteringTofTgalaxiesTandTtheTabun
danceTofTgalaxyTclusters,TtoTnameTaTfew,TconstrainTtheTdarkT
matterTpropertiesTandTdistributionTonTlargeTscales.TLaboratoryTs
earchesTinTexperimentsToperatedTdeepTundergroundTaimTtoTpro
beTtheTnatureTofTtheTdarkTmatterTparticle,TandTeventuallyTstud
yTitsTlocalTphase-
spaceTdistribution,TwhileTastrophysicalTsearchesTofTdarkTmatter
TannihilationTproductsTcanTstudyTregionsTofTincreasedTdarkTma
tterTdensityTinTourTgalaxyTorTinTnearbyTdwarfTgalaxies,Twhich
TareTdarkTmatterTdominated.TInTrecentTyearsTtheTLargeTHadro
nTColliderTinTGenevaTconstrainsTtheTproductionTofTdarkTmatter
Tparticles,TwhileTaTseriesTofTprecisionTmeasurementsTatTtheTint
ensityTfrontierTareTsensitiveTtoTotherTtypeTofTcandidates,Tinclud
ingTaxionsTandTaxion-like-particles.
OneTofTtheTmostTvexingTgetsTatTtheTheartTofTwhatTourTuniver
seTisTactuallyTmadeTof.TCosmologicalTobservationsThaveTdeter
minedTtheTaverageTdensityTofTmatterTinTourTuniverseTtoTveryT
highTprecision.TButTthisTdensityTturnsToutTtoTbeTmuchTgreater
TthanTcanTbeTaccountedTforTwithTordinaryTatoms.
TheTstubbornTelusivenessTofTdarkTmatterThasTleftTmanyTscienti
stsTbothTsurprisedTandTconfused.TWeThadTwhatTseemedTlikeTv
eryTgoodTreasonsTtoTexpectTparticlesTofTdarkTmatterTtoTbeTdis
coveredTbyTnow.TAndTyetTtheThuntTcontinues,TandTtheTmyster
yTdeepens.
 Conclusion

AfterTdoingTtheTresearchT,TitTisTconcludedTthatTweThveTcame
TaTlongTwayTinTtheTresearchTandTweTdoThaveTaTlongTwayTto
Tgo.TWeTfoundTthatTdarkmatterTisTsomethingTthatTweThaveTto
TfindTaboutT.TweThaveTtoTfindTaboutTitsToriginTandTwhatTreal
lyTdarkTmatterTis?T
WeTfoundTthatTdarkTmatterTmayTbeTmadeTupTofTaxionsTandT
wasToriginatedTaTlongTwayTbeforeTtheTbigTbangTwithTtheTorig
inTofTuniverseTitself.TWeTalsoThaveTaTdifferentTwayTtoTdetect
TtheTmysteriousTmatterTthatTisTbyTobservingTtheTphaseTchange
TofTtheTdarkTmatterTthatTleavesTsomeTsignaturesTbehindTit.TAl
soTdarkTmatterTisTnotTtheTonlyTthingTpresentTotherTthanTtheTv
isibleTmatterTinTtheTuniverseTbutTalsoTtheTdarkTenergy.TForTal
mostTasTlongTasTwe’veTknownTthatTdarkTmatterTexists,Tphysici
stsTandTastronomersThaveTbeenTdevisingTwaysTtoTtryTtoTlearnT
whatTit’sTmadeTof.TThey’veTbuiltTultra-
sensitiveTdetectors,TdeployedTinTdeepTundergroundTmines,TinTa
nTeffortTtoTmeasureTtheTgentleTimpactsTofTindividualTdarkTmat
terTparticlesTcollidingTwithTatoms.

AfterTdecadesTofTmeasurementsTandTdebate,TweTareTnowTconfi
dentTthatTtheToverwhelmingTmajorityTofTourTuniverse’sTmatterT
–TaboutT84TpercentT–
TisTnotTmadeTupTofTatoms,TorTofTanyTotherTknownTsubstance.
TAlthoughTweTcanTfeelTtheTgravitationalTpullTofTthisTotherTma
tter,TandTclearlyTtellTthatTit’sTthere,TweTsimplyTdoTnotTknowT
whatTitTis.TThisTmysteriousTstuffTisTinvisible,TorTatTleastTnearl
yTso.TForTlackTofTaTbetterTname,TweTcallTitT“darkTmatter.”TB
utTnamingTsomethingTisTveryTdifferentTfromTunderstandingTit.
ButTourTprescienceTseemsTtoThaveTcomeTtoTanTendT–
TtheTlong-
predictedTparticlesTassociatedTwithTourTfavoriteTandTmostTwell-
motivatedTtheoriesThaveTstubbornlyTrefusedTtoTappear.TPerhapsT
theTdiscoveriesTofTsuchTparticlesTareTrightTaroundTtheTcorner,T
andTourTconfidenceTwillTsoonTbeTrestored.TButTrightTnow,Tther
eTseemsTtoTbeTlittleTsupportTforTsuchToptimism.
ConsideringTtheTimmenseTexperimental,TtheoreticalTandTobservat
ionalTprogressTachievedTduringTtheTlastTdecade,TtheTfocusTissu
eTaimsTtoTreviewTtheTcurrentTsituationTinTtheTfield:TfromTastr
ophysicalTprobesTandTnumericalTsimulationsTofTstructureTformat
ion,TtoTdarkTmatterTparticleTmodelsTandTtheTstatusTandTprospe
ctsTofTvariousTsearches.TAnTenormousTeffortTisTunderwayTtoTu
ncoverTanyTnon-
gravitationalTmanifestationTofTdarkTmatter,TtoTelucidateTitsTnatu
reTonTaTmicroscopicTscaleTandTtoTdetermineTitsTphase-
spaceTstructureTonTtheTsmallestTscales.
InTresponse,TdrovesTofTphysicistsTareTgoingTbackTtoTtheirTchal
kboards,TrevisitingTandTrevisingTtheirTassumptions.TWithTbruise
dTegosTandTaTbitTmoreThumility,TweTareTdesperatelyTattemptin
gTtoTfindTaTnewTwayTtoTmakeTsenseTofTourTworld.
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