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On the trail of WIMPs

Direct detection of Weakly Interacting Massive Particle Dark Matter

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In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.

–Francis Bacon

Abstract

The fundamental particle nature of the Dark Matter (DM) that constitutes more than 80% of the gravitating matter in the Universe is unknown. There is no suitable candidate for this DM in the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. The so-called Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), predicted in many scenarios of possible new physics beyond the SM, are currently one of the most favoured candidates of the DM. A number of experiments worldwide are trying to directly detect these WIMPs in underground laboratories. Here we discuss the basic ideas behind the WIMP hypothesis and brie-y discuss the latest results of such experiments and future prospects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AstroParticle Physics & Cosmology (APC) Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), 1/AF Bidhan Nagar (Salt Lake), Kolkata, 700 064, India

    Pijushpani Bhattacharjee

Authors
  1. Pijushpani Bhattacharjee
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pijushpani Bhattacharjee.

Additional information

Pijushpani Bhattacharjee is an astroparticle physicist working at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata. When bored of theoretical research, Pijush dabbles in experiments searching for WIMPs underground.

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Bhattacharjee, P. On the trail of WIMPs. Reson 22, 113–121 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-017-0442-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-017-0442-9

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