Cold dark matter
In
History
The theory of cold dark matter was originally published in 1982 by
A review article in 1984 by Blumenthal,Structure formation
In the cold dark matter theory, structure grows hierarchically, with small objects collapsing under their self-gravity first and merging in a continuous hierarchy to form larger and more massive objects. Predictions of the cold dark matter paradigm are in general agreement with observations of cosmological large-scale structure.
In the hot dark matter paradigm, popular in the early 1980s but less so in the 1990s, structure does not form hierarchically (bottom-up), but forms by fragmentation (top-down), with the largest superclusters forming first in flat pancake-like sheets and subsequently fragmenting into smaller pieces like our galaxy the Milky Way.
Since the late 1980s or 1990s, most cosmologists favor the cold dark matter theory (specifically the modern Lambda-CDM model) as a description of how the universe went from a smooth initial state at early times (as shown by the cosmic microwave background radiation) to the lumpy distribution of galaxies and their clusters we see today—the large-scale structure of the universe. Dwarf galaxies are crucial to this theory, having been created by small-scale density fluctuations in the early universe;[5] they have now become natural building blocks that form larger structures.
Composition
Dark matter is detected through its gravitational interactions with ordinary matter and radiation. As such, it is very difficult to determine what the constituents of cold dark matter are. The candidates fall roughly into three categories:
- Axions, very light particles with a specific type of self-interaction that makes them a suitable CDM candidate.[6][7] Since the late 2010s, axions have become one of the most promising candidates for dark matter.[8] Axions have the theoretical advantage that their existence solves the strong CP problem in quantum chromodynamics, but axion particles have only been theorized and never detected. Axions are an example of a more general category of particle called a WISP (weakly interacting "slender" or "slim" particle), which are the low-mass counterparts of WIMPs.
- standard model of particle physics predict such particles. The search for WIMPs involves attempts at direct detection by highly sensitive detectors, as well as attempts at production of WIMPs by particle accelerators. Historically, WIMPs were regarded as one of the most promising candidates for the composition of dark matter,[10][12][14] but since the late 2010s, WIMPs have been supplanted by axions with the non-detection of WIMPs in experiments.[8] The DAMA/NaI experiment and its successor DAMA/LIBRAhave claimed to have directly detected dark matter particles passing through the Earth, but many scientists remain skeptical because no results from similar experiments seem compatible with the DAMA results.
Challenges
Several discrepancies between the predictions of cold dark matter in the ΛCDM model and observations of galaxies and their clustering have arisen. Some of these problems have proposed solutions, but it remains unclear whether they can be solved without abandoning the ΛCDM model.[15]
Cuspy halo problem
The density distributions of dark matter halos in cold dark matter simulations (at least those that do not include the impact of baryonic feedback) are much more peaked than what is observed in galaxies by investigating their rotation curves.[16]
Dwarf galaxy problem
Cold dark matter simulations predict large numbers of small dark matter halos, more numerous than the number of small dwarf galaxies that are observed around galaxies like the Milky Way.[17]
Satellite disk problem
Dwarf galaxies around the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies are observed to be orbiting in thin, planar structures whereas the simulations predict that they should be distributed randomly about their parent galaxies.[18]
High-velocity galaxy problem
Galaxies in the NGC 3109 association are moving away too rapidly to be consistent with expectations in the ΛCDM model.[19] In this framework, NGC 3109 is too massive and distant from the Local Group for it to have been flung out in a three-body interaction involving the Milky Way or Andromeda Galaxy.[20]
Galaxy morphology problem
If galaxies grew hierarchically, then massive galaxies required many mergers.
Fast galaxy bar problem
If galaxies were embedded within massive halos of cold dark matter, then the bars that often develop in their central regions would be slowed down by dynamical friction with the halo. This is in serious tension with the fact that observed galaxy bars are typically fast.[24]
Small-scale crisis
Comparison of the model with observations may have some problems on sub-galaxy scales, possibly predicting too many dwarf galaxies and too much dark matter in the innermost regions of galaxies. This problem is called the "small scale crisis".[25] These small scales are harder to resolve in computer simulations, so it is not yet clear whether the problem is the simulations, non-standard properties of dark matter, or a more radical error in the model.
High redshift galaxies
Observations from the
See also
- Fuzzy cold dark matter
- Hot dark matter
- Meta-cold dark matter
- Modified Newtonian dynamics
- Self-interacting dark matter
- Warm dark matter
References
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- doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20052829. Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2012-08-19.)
Dwarf galaxies play a crucial role in the CDM scenario for galaxy formation, having been suggested to be the natural building blocks from which larger structures are built up by merging processes. In this scenario dwarf galaxies are formed from small-scale density fluctuations in the primeval universe.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link - ^ Turner, M.; et al. (2010). "Axions 2010 Workshop". Gainesville, USA: U. Florida.[full citation needed]
- ^ Sikivie, Pierre; et al. (2008). "Axion Cosmology". Lect. Notes Phys. Vol. 741. pp. 19–50.[full citation needed]
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Carr, B.J.; et al. (May 2010). "New cosmological constraints on primordial black holes". Physical Review D. 81 (10): 104019. S2CID 118946242.
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Garrett, Katherine; Dūda, Gintaras (2011). "Dark Matter: A Primer". Advances in Astronomy. 2011: 968283. S2CID 119180701.
MACHOs can only account for a very small percentage of the nonluminous mass in our galaxy, revealing that most dark matter cannot be strongly concentrated or exist in the form of baryonic astrophysical objects. Although microlensing surveys rule out baryonic objects like brown dwarfs, black holes, and neutron stars in our galactic halo, can other forms of baryonic matter make up the bulk of dark matter? The answer, surprisingly, is no ...
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Bertone, Gianfranco (18 November 2010). "The moment of truth for WIMP dark matter" (PDF). Nature. 468 (7322): 389–393. S2CID 4415912.
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Olive, Keith A. (2003). "TASI lectures on dark matter". Physics. 54: 21. Bibcode:2003astro.ph..1505O.
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- ^ Cesari, Thaddeus (9 December 2022). "NASA's Webb Reaches New Milestone in Quest for Distant Galaxies". Retrieved 9 December 2022.
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- ^ O'Callaghan, Jonathan (6 December 2022). "Astronomers Grapple with JWST's Discovery of Early Galaxies". Scientific American. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
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Further reading
- Bertone, Gianfranco (2010). ISBN 978-0-521-76368-4.