High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph); Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics.
astro-ph/1006.2483

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Abstract. Dark matter is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in cosmology at the present time. About 80% of the universe's gravitating matter is non-luminous, and its nature and distribution are for the most part unknown. In this paper, we will outline the history, astrophysical evidence, candidates, and detection methods of dark matter, with the goal to give the reader an accessible but rigorous introduction to the puzzle of dark matter. This review targets advanced students and researchers new to the field of dark matter, and includes an extensive list of references for further study.

Table of Contents

• INTRODUCTION
• HISTORY AND EARLY INDICATIONS
• MODERN UNDERSTANDING AND EVIDENCE
• Microlensing
• Cosmological Evidence
• Most recent evidence
• PARTICLE CANDIDATES
• The Standard Model and the Neutrino
• Problems of the Standard Model
• SUPERSYMMETRY
• EXOTIC CANDIDATES
• PRODUCTION IN THE EARLY UNIVERSE
• Review of Big Bang Cosmology
• Thermodynamics in the Early Universe
• Particle Production and Relic Density: The Boltzmann Equation
• DETECTION SCHEMES
• Production in Accelerators
• Direct Detection
• Indirect Detection
• Gamma-rays
• Neutrinos
• Antimatter
• CONCLUSION AND CHALLENGES
• APPENDIX: MOND THEORIES AS ALTERNATIVES TO DARK MATTER
• REFERENCES