Baryons as dark matter
- Queen Mary, U. of London; Fermilab
Dark matter may reside in galactic disks, galactic halos, clusters of galaxies and the background Universe. Cosmological nucleosynthesis arguments suggest that only some fraction of the baryons in the Universe are in visible form, so at least some of the dark matter problems could be baryonic. The dark matter in galactic disks (if real) is almost certainly baryonic and, in this case, it is either in white dwarfs or brown dwarfs. The dark matter in galactic halos could be at least partly baryonic and, in this case, it is likely to be contained in the remnants of a first generation of pregalactic or protogalatic stars. The various constrains on the nature of such remnants suggest that brown dwarfs are the most plausible candidates, although (rather perplexingly) microlensing searches currently favor white dwarfs. The dark matter in clusters or intergalactic space could be baryonic only if one gives up the standard cosmological nucleosynthesis scenario or assumes that the dark objects are primordial black holes which formed before nucleosynthesis. If it is non-baryonic and in the form of cold WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), then such particles should also provide some of the halo dark matter. 89 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP) (SC-25)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-07CH11359
- OSTI ID:
- 486138
- Report Number(s):
- FERMILAB-CONF-97-130-A; oai:inspirehep.net:444561
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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