70 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
70 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Dark matter"
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chunk: 10/10
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source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter"
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category: "reference"
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tags: "science, encyclopedia"
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date_saved: "2026-05-05T11:00:51.613917+00:00"
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instance: "kb-cron"
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---
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=== Non-mainstream and less established particle, field, and structure theories ===
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While WIMPs, axions, and primordial black holes remain the primary candidates for dark matter, numerous other theories have been proposed to address specific observational anomalies or theoretical motivations. These alternative models often explore mass ranges and interaction strengths outside the standard parameter space, ranging from ultra-light scalar fields to massive composite states. Some hypotheses posit the existence of complex "dark sectors" with their own fundamental forces, while others suggest that dark matter may be unstable, dynamical, or composed of mirror particles. The following list encompasses these less established but theoretically motivated candidates and frameworks.
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Chameleon particle – Hypothetical scalar particle that couples to matter more weakly than gravity
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Dark galaxy – Hypothesized galaxy with no, or very few, stars
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Dark radiation – Postulated type of radiation that mediates interactions of dark matter
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Density wave theory – A theory in which waves of compressed gas, which move slower than the galaxy, maintain galaxies' structure
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Dynamical dark matter
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Exotic matter – Physics term for multiple concepts
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Feebly interacting particles
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Light dark matter – Dark matter weakly interacting massive particles candidates with masses less than 1 GeV
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Mirror matter – Hypothetical counterpart to ordinary matter
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Neutralino – Neutral mass eigenstate formed from superpartners of gauge and Higgs bosons
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Scalar field dark matter – Conjectured dark matter in cosmology
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Strongly interacting massive particle (SIMP) – Hypothetical particle
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Weakly interacting slim particle (WISP) – Low-mass counterpart to WIMP
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== In popular culture ==
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Dark matter regularly appears as a topic in hybrid periodicals that cover both factual scientific topics and science fiction, and dark matter itself has been referred to as "the stuff of science fiction".
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Mention of dark matter is made in works of fiction. In such cases, it is usually attributed extraordinary physical or magical properties, thus becoming inconsistent with the hypothesized properties of dark matter in physics and cosmology. For example:
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Dark matter serves as a plot device in the 1995 X-Files episode "Soft Light".
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A dark-matter-inspired substance known as "Dust" features prominently in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.
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Beings made of dark matter are antagonists in Stephen Baxter's Xeelee Sequence.
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More broadly, the phrase "dark matter" is used metaphorically in fiction to evoke the unseen or invisible.
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== Gallery ==
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== See also ==
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Related theories
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Dark energy – Energy driving the accelerated expansion of the universe
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Unparticle physics – Speculative theory of non-particle matter
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Experiments
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DEAP – Dark matter search experiment, a search apparatus
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Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) – Chinese science satellite
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General antiparticle spectrometer
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MultiDark, a research program
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Illustris project – Computer-simulated universes, astrophysical simulations
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Other
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Galactic Center GeV excess – Unexplained gamma rays from the Galactic Center
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Luminiferous aether – A once theorized invisible and infinite material with no interaction with physical objects, used to explain how light could travel through a vacuum (now disproven)
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== Notes ==
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== References ==
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== Further reading ==
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Ferreras, Ignacio (2025). Fundamentals of Dark Matter. UCL Press. ISBN 978-1-80008-470-4.
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Freeman, Ken; MacNamara, Geoff (2006). In Search of Dark Matter. Springer-Praxis Books in Popular Astronomy. Berlin, Springer, Chichester: Springer/Praxis. ISBN 978-0-387-27616-8.
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Kimball, Derek; Bibber, Karl, eds. (2023). The Search for Ultralight Bosonic Dark Matter. Springer Nature. Bibcode:2023subd.book.....K. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-95852-7. ISBN 978-3-030-95852-7.
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Sanders, Robert H. (2010). The Dark Matter Problem: A historical perspective. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-511-77357-0.
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Overduin, James M.; Wesson, Paul S. (2003). Dark Sky, Dark Matter. Series in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Bristol: Institute of Physics. ISBN 978-0-7503-0684-3.
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Bertone, Gianfranco (2010). Particle Dark Matter: Observations, models and searches. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-76368-4.
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Panek, Richard (2011). The 4 Percent Universe: Dark matter, dark energy, and the race to discover the rest of reality. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-618-98244-8.
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Weiss, Rainer, (July/August 2023) "The Dark Universe Comes into Focus" Scientific American, vol. 329, no. 1, pp. 7–8.
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== External links ==
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Tremaine, Scott. Lecture on dark matter (Video). IAS.
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Gray, Meghan; Merrifield, Mike; Copeland, Ed (2010). Haran, Brady (ed.). "Dark Matter". Sixty Symbols. University of Nottingham. |