Weakly interacting massive particle: Difference between revisions

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'''Weakly interacting massive particles''' ('''WIMPs''') are hypothetical particles that are one of the proposed candidates for [[dark matter]].

There exists no formal definition of a WIMP, but broadly, it is an [[elementary particle]] which interacts via [[gravity]] and any other force (or forces),. potentiallyIt is not part of the [[Standard Model]], which is as weak as or weaker than the [[weak nuclear force]], but also non-vanishing in strength. Many WIMP candidates are expected to have been produced thermally in the early Universe, similarly to the particles of the Standard Model<ref>{{cite journal | last = Garrett | first = Katherine | title = Dark matter: A primer | year = 2010 | journal = Advances in Astronomy | volume = 2011 | issue = 968283 | pages = 1–22 | doi = 10.1155/2011/968283| arxiv = 1006.2483 | bibcode = 2011AdAst2011E...8G | doi-access = free }}</ref> according to [[Big Bang]] cosmology, and usually will constitute [[cold dark matter]]. Obtaining the correct abundance of dark matter today via [[thermal production]] requires a self-[[annihilation]] [[Cross section (physics)|cross section]] of <math>\langle \sigma v \rangle \simeq 3 \times 10^{-26} \mathrm{cm}^{3} \;\mathrm{s}^{-1}</math>, which is roughly what is expected for a new particle in the 100&nbsp;[[GeV]] mass range that interacts via the [[electroweak force]].

Experimental efforts to detect WIMPs include the search for products of WIMP annihilation, including [[gamma ray]]s, [[neutrino]]s and [[cosmic ray]]s in nearby galaxies and galaxy clusters; direct detection experiments designed to measure the collision of WIMPs with [[Atomic nucleus|nuclei]] in the laboratory, as well as attempts to directly produce WIMPs in colliders, such as the [[Large Hadron Collider]] at [[CERN]].