The Search for Dark Matter

TL;DR

This paper reviews the longstanding mystery of dark matter, discussing evidence, potential particle candidates, and recent experimental efforts, highlighting that a discovery may be imminent due to technological advancements.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of dark matter searches, emphasizing recent experimental sensitivities and the potential for imminent discovery.

Findings

Dark matter influences cosmic structures at large scales.

No definitive dark matter particle has been identified yet.

Recent experiments have reached sensitivities that could lead to discovery.

Abstract

The dark matter problem is almost a century old. Since the 1930s evidence has been growing that our cosmos is dominated by a new form of non-baryonic matter, that holds galaxies and clusters together and influences cosmic structures up to the largest observed scales. At the microscopic level, we still do not know the composition of this dark, or invisible matter, which does not interact directly with light. The simplest assumption is that it is made of new particles that interact with gravity and at most weakly with known elementary particles. I will discuss searches for such new particles, both space- and Earth-bound including those placed in deep underground laboratories. While a dark matter particle hasn't been yet identified, even after decades of concerted efforts, new technological developments and experiments have reached sensitivities where a discovery might be imminent, albeit certainly not guaranteed.