Dark Matter in Quantum Gravity

TL;DR

This paper proposes that quantum gravity inherently includes massive spin-2 and spin-0 fields that, if long-lived, could serve as dark matter candidates, providing a gravitational explanation for dark matter.

Contribution

It introduces the idea that quantum gravity naturally contains massive fields that could account for dark matter, linking quantum gravity spectrum to cosmological observations.

Findings

Quantum gravity spectrum includes massive spin-2 and spin-0 fields.

Long-lived massive fields could constitute dark matter.

Dark matter would be very light and only gravitationally interacting.

Abstract

We show that quantum gravity, whatever its ultra-violet completion might be, could account for dark matter. Indeed, besides the massless gravitational field recently observed in the form of gravitational waves, the spectrum of quantum gravity contains two massive fields respectively of spin 2 and spin 0. If these fields are long-lived, they could easily account for dark matter. In that case, dark matter would be very light and only gravitationally coupled to the standard model particles.