Unraveling the Mystery of Dark Matter

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of dark matter, including its composition, potential theories explaining it, and its implications in astrophysics. Participants explore various hypotheses and the current state of knowledge regarding dark matter.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that dark matter is inferred from gravitational effects on galaxies and clusters, but its exact composition remains unknown.
  • It is suggested that most dark matter is not baryonic, with some proposing that neutralinos could be a major component of cold dark matter.
  • Participants mention baryonic dark matter could include objects like dwarf stars, although this is not widely accepted as the primary form of dark matter.
  • Some participants express uncertainty regarding the applicability of string theory to explain dark matter.
  • Axions and Kaluza-Klein matter are also mentioned as potential candidates for dark matter constituents.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the composition of dark matter is unknown and that it is primarily non-baryonic. However, multiple competing theories and models exist, and the discussion remains unresolved regarding which, if any, may accurately describe dark matter.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects limitations in current understanding, including the lack of empirical evidence for proposed dark matter candidates and the dependence on various theoretical frameworks that have not reached consensus.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in astrophysics, cosmology, and theoretical physics may find this discussion relevant, particularly those exploring the complexities of dark matter and its implications in the universe.

aniket
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Hey guys,
what is dark matter?what is it made up of and where is it?can any theory explain this?
can string theory explain this? so please frendz help me out of this.
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
The evidence for the existence of dark matter lies in various graviational effects on a large scale (galaxies and clusters of galaxies). What it is made of is still unknown. All that can be said is that most of it is NOT baryonic (ordinary) matter. There are several theories, but no evidence yet for any of them.
 
What it is made of is still unknown.
I agree of course (your answer is the good one).
However, what i would just like to add is that i think that quite a lot of scientisit think that neutralinos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutralino) may be the mayor constituent of cold dark matter.

All that can be said is that most of it is NOT baryonic (ordinary) matter.
Baryonic dark matter is object like dwarf stars and other tiny "dark"(=shineless -but i don't know if that word exist) objects.
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_uni/uni_101matter.html
http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/dark_matter_galaxy.html?2322005

Just to add : dark matter seems to make up around 23% of our universe mass-energy

can string theory explain this?
No idea ! Sorry :(

Benjamin
 
Axions are still popular.
 
Kaluza-Klein matter is also a suggestion.
 

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