Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are hypothetical particles that are one of the proposed candidates for dark matter. There exists no clear definition of a WIMP, but broadly, a WIMP is a new elementary particle which interacts via gravity and any other force (or forces), potentially not part of the Standard Model itself, which is as weak as or weaker than the weak nuclear force, but also non-vanishing in its strength. Many WIMP candidates are expected to have been produced thermally in the early Universe, similarly to the particles of the Standard Model according to Big Bang cosmology, and usually will constitute cold dark matter.
Obtaining the correct abundance of dark matter today via thermal production requires a self-annihilation cross section of
⟨
σ
v
⟩
≃
3
×
10
−
26
c
m
3
s
−
1
{\displaystyle \langle \sigma v\rangle \simeq 3\times 10^{-26}\mathrm {cm} ^{3}\;\mathrm {s} ^{-1}}
, which is roughly what is expected for a new particle in the 100 GeV mass range that interacts via the electroweak force. Because supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics readily predict a new particle with these properties, this apparent coincidence is known as the "WIMP miracle", and a stable supersymmetric partner has long been a prime WIMP candidate. However, recent null results from direct-detection experiments along with the failure to produce evidence of supersymmetry in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment has cast doubt on the simplest WIMP hypothesis. Experimental efforts to detect WIMPs include the search for products of WIMP annihilation, including gamma rays, neutrinos and cosmic rays in nearby galaxies and galaxy clusters; direct detection experiments designed to measure the collision of WIMPs with nuclei in the laboratory, as well as attempts to directly produce WIMPs in colliders, such as the LHC.
I'm studying the freeze-out moment of different particles and I have few questions that I can't find answer about the Wimp particles.
First of all, the freeze-out temperature of the wimp particles is around 0.4-40gev much higher than 1 mev for the neutrinos.
Thus, that means that the freeze-out...
I read from various sources that Non-baryonic matter (primarily WIMPs) is the best candidate to explain a number of cosmological phenomena.
Why would the phenomenon of radioactive decay not be attributed to these abundant (over 1/4 of the mass-energy of the universe) particles? I'm not trying to...
Are the current dark matter detection experiments sensitive to Planck mass WIMPs?
I've just looked at the Wikipedia WIMP article. It shows the excluded parameter space for the CDMS experiment with WIMP-nucleon cross section vs WIMP mass curves but they only go up to a WIMP mass of 1000 GeV.
If a weakly-interacting massive particle interacted with an electron in a classical superconductor would it break up a "cooper pair" and thus lead to extra electrical resistance?
If so perhaps the loss of superconductivity in a 2-d array of superconducting wires could be used to detect the flux...
How much tension between recent AMS-02 80 Gev dark matter and Lux-Xenon negative results?
Recent results ( Arxiv 1610.03840 and 1704.08258) suggest a WIMP dark matter particle near 80 Gev. See also https://phys.org/news/2017-05-possibility-cosmic-rays-due-dark.html
If this particle really...
Is it conceivable that dark matter only interacts gravitationally? Is SUSY losing her charm? I truly want to know what the experts think. I'm not qualified to have an informed opinion about this subject.
widely reported in all science channels
LUX Dark Matter Experiment Ends With No WIMPs Found
what are the ramifications to SUSY QG string theory LQG MSSM dark matter etc based on this results?
how likely is dark matter WIMP hypothesis in light of this null result, and of neutralinos
Does this...
I have been thinking about this quite often, and I know that usually WIMPs are taken more seriously than MACHOs, and I know it is because MACHOS don't exist in such huge amounts, but why are they considered better candidates for Dark Matter?
http://arxiv.org/pdf/1510.00400.pdf
Axions probably do not exist for theoretical reasons [19–21] discovered in 1992. Electroweak supersymmetry probably does not exist for the experimental reason [25–27] of its non-discovery in Run 1 of the LHC. The idea that dark matter experiences weak...
This question straddles this forum and the "Beyond the Standard Model" one a bit, so if a mentor thinks it belongs better elsewhere, please feel free to move it.
I've seen references in the "popular science" press about the possibility of indirectly detecting dark matter by looking for gamma...
Hello,
My problem is as follows
I've tried differentiating to find the maximum and I've tried plotting E against m_{\chi} for a range of values and this did not suggest a maximum at m_N = m_{\chi}. Could someone explain why it is the case that the energy transfer is maximum when these masses...
WIMPs and "Ghost Planets"
There's very little known about WIMPs, from my understanding, but I believe there has been some speculation that they interact with each other less-than-weakly, and they most certainly do have a gravitational presence.
So, if WIMPs were to interact with each other in...
What is the basis for the theory that WIMPs could be detected by seeing a vibration in the atomic nucleus of normal matter? If they (all) really do interact so weakly, why do scientist think they might be able to detect just a few??
an explanation in layman's terms would be great. thanks?
WIMPs as a DM candidate - Some questions about detection.
Hello everyone, I am new here, so sorry if this has already been covered. I ran a search on 'WIMP' for the forum, and it seems I'm in the clear here..
So, I am writing a report on dark matter at the moment, but there are a few things...