What else do we know about dark matter?

[ryanuser]

Hi, i got interested in the dark matter, rather than dark matter is another potential force/particles than gravity to create the galaxies what other influences it does that we are currently aware of?

Thanks
(Keep it simple please, high school student)

 

[phinds]

Sorry, but I find your post a bit incoherent so I'm not clear on what you DO understand about dark matter.

What we know is basically two things

(1) There is a LOT of it and it exists primarily in galactic halos and is likely instrumental in galactic formation.
(2) It interacts only gravitationally, not via electromagnetic radiation (by either emission or absorption) with the rest of the universe.

#2 is a bit unclear. We don't KNOW that it interacts at all, but I think the consensus assumption is that it very likely does, albeit in a very weak manner. The primary candidate for dark matter particles is WIMPs.

 

[ryanuser]

If we know WIMPs then why we can not make any experimentations on it to understand how it behaves in different situations?

 

[phinds]

If we know WIMPs then why we can not make any experimentations on it to understand how it behaves in different situations?

Because they don't interact with much of anything and we can't CATCH any.

 

[Chronos]

Efforts to directly detect dark matter have been underway for a number of years now. The necessary technology is relatively new. It was one of the goals of the LHC, and also projects like DAMA/Libra and COUPP-60.

 

[ryanuser]

Is there any theories about it yet?
Is there anything to do with quantum mechanics?

 

[bapowell]

If we know WIMPs then why we can not make any experimentations on it to understand how it behaves in different situations?

There are currently many experiments underway to detect WIMPs. See:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weakly_interacting_massive_particles#Experimental_detection

 

[bapowell]

Is there any theories about it yet?
Is there anything to do with quantum mechanics?

The more popular theories that contain dark matter particle candidates possesses a special symmetry called supersymmetry. There are also non-supersymmetric models, like axion models. These are all hypothetical. Dark matter, if it turns out to consist of WIMPs, would be subject to quantum mechanics at the smallest scales just like ordinary matter.