Undergrad What if dark matter is unrelated to WIMPs?

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The discussion centers on the nature of dark matter and its potential interactions, questioning whether it only interacts gravitationally, which complicates theories of its early universe formation. There is skepticism about the simplicity and elegance of supersymmetry (SUSY) models, as many have been ruled out, yet some parameter spaces remain viable. The conversation also touches on the relevance of particle physics in cosmology, particularly regarding quantum field theory (QFT) in curved spacetime, and the challenges of combining it with general relativity. Evidence for dark matter's existence is highlighted through gravitational lensing observations, such as the Bullet Cluster, which suggest dark matter interacts differently than normal matter. Overall, the dialogue emphasizes the complexities of understanding dark matter and its implications for cosmological models.
  • #31
The millenium simulations are the most prominent example, see the external links there for more details.

Regular matter without dark matter is in conflict with all the independent observations of dark matter, the last point there is about the formation of structures in the universe.

The simulations don't agree perfectly, but there is a huge difference between "some details are not so accurate" and "we don't get any structure formation".
 
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  • #32
Yes. If anything, Illustris achieved an amazing level of detail and matches pretty closely.
 

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