What is the temperature of cold & hot dark matter?

In summary, dark matter is a hypothetical type of matter that makes up about 85% of the total matter in the universe and is responsible for observed gravitational effects. There are two types of dark matter, cold and hot, which differ in their speed and ability to form structures. The temperature of dark matter is not directly measured but can be inferred from observations and simulations. The evidence for its existence comes from observations of galaxy rotation, gravitational lensing, and galaxy cluster motion. The temperature of dark matter affects the evolution of the universe, with cold dark matter allowing for hierarchical structure formation and hot dark matter having a different effect. A combination of both types of dark matter is needed to explain the observed structure of the universe.
  • #1
nargesh
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what is the temperature of cold & hot dark matter?
 
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  • #2
Neither has a well-defined temperature.
The terms 'hot' and 'cold' refer to characteristics of the dark matter, and how they behave---namely, hot dark-matter would be highly-relativistic (and in the past, was believed to be more strongly interacting); while cold dark matter is non-relativistic (and incredibly weakly interacting).

'Temperature' is only well defined in a collisionally dominated ensemble of particles that are well described by certain statistical distributions. It doesn't really make sense to say what the temperature of a single particle (for instance) is.
 

1. What is dark matter?

Dark matter is a hypothetical type of matter that does not interact with light and therefore cannot be directly observed. It is believed to make up about 85% of the total matter in the universe and is thought to be responsible for the gravitational effects observed in galaxies and galaxy clusters.

2. What is the difference between cold and hot dark matter?

Cold dark matter is made up of slow-moving particles, whereas hot dark matter is made up of fast-moving particles. This difference in speed affects how they cluster and form structures in the universe, with cold dark matter being better at forming small-scale structures like galaxies and hot dark matter being better at forming large-scale structures like galaxy clusters.

3. How is the temperature of cold and hot dark matter measured?

The temperature of dark matter is not directly measured because it does not interact with light. Instead, it is inferred from observations of the large-scale structure of the universe and simulations of how dark matter particles behave. The temperature of cold dark matter is estimated to be around 1 Kelvin, while hot dark matter is estimated to be much hotter at around 10 million Kelvin.

4. What evidence do we have for the existence of dark matter?

The main evidence for the existence of dark matter comes from observations of the rotation of galaxies, the gravitational lensing of light, and the motion of galaxy clusters. These observations cannot be explained by the visible matter we can see, and therefore suggest the presence of a significant amount of unseen matter, which we refer to as dark matter.

5. How does the temperature of dark matter affect the evolution of the universe?

The temperature of dark matter plays a significant role in the evolution of the universe. Cold dark matter's slower speed allows it to form small-scale structures first, which then merge to form larger structures like galaxies. This process is known as hierarchical structure formation. Hot dark matter, on the other hand, would have prevented smaller structures from forming, leading to a different evolution of the universe. The current understanding is that a combination of both types of dark matter is needed to explain the observed structure of the universe.

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