# Dark Matter Searches Domain: Astrophysics & Cosmology · 275 papers indexed · newest 2026-10-29 WIMP direct detection (LZ, XENONnT, PandaX), axion haloscopes, primordial black holes and astrophysical constraints. Key concepts: dark matter, direct detection, axion, WIMP, primordial black hole, haloscope ## Most influential - **[Axion cosmology](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1510.07633)**. David J. E. Marsh · 2016 · Physics Reports (arXiv:1510.07633 · doi:10.1016/j.physrep.2016.06.005 · 2,006 citations). Source: > 1. Introduction 2. Models: the QCD axion; the strong CP problem; PQWW, KSVZ, DFSZ; anomalies, instantons and the potential; couplings; axions in string theory 3. Production and I.C.'s: SSB and non-perturbative physics; the axion field during inflation and PQ SSB; cosmological populations - decay of parent, topological defects, thermal production, vacuum realignment 4. The Cosmological Field: action; background evolution; misalignment for QCD axion and ALPs; cosmological perturbation theory - i.c.'s, early time treatment, axion sound speed and Jeans scale, transfer functions and WDM; the Schrod… - **[First Results from the LUX Dark Matter Experiment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1310.8214)**. D. S. Akerib, Henrique M. Araújo, X. Bai et al. · 2014 · Physical Review Letters (arXiv:1310.8214 · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.112.091303 · 1,596 citations). Source: > The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment, a dual-phase xenon time-projection chamber operating at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (Lead, South Dakota), was cooled and filled in February 2013. We report results of the first WIMP search dataset, taken during the period April to August 2013, presenting the analysis of 85.3 live-days of data with a fiducial volume of 118 kg. A profile-likelihood analysis technique shows our data to be consistent with the background-only hypothesis, allowing 90% confidence limits to be set on spin-independent WIMP-nucleon elastic scattering with a min… - **[Dark Matter Candidates from Particle Physics and Methods of Detection](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1003.0904)**. Jonathan Lee Feng · 2010 · Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics (arXiv:1003.0904 · doi:10.1146/annurev-astro-082708-101659 · 1,479 citations). Source: > The identity of dark matter is a question of central importance in both astrophysics and particle physics. In the past, the leading particle candidates were cold and collisionless, and typically predicted missing energy signals at particle colliders. However, recent progress has greatly expanded the list of well-motivated candidates and the possible signatures of dark matter. This review begins with a brief summary of the standard model of particle physics and its outstanding problems. We then discuss several dark matter candidates motivated by these problems, including WIMPs, superWIMPs, ligh… - **[History of dark matter](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1605.04909)**. Gianfranco Bertone, Dan Hooper · 2018 · Reviews of Modern Physics (arXiv:1605.04909 · doi:10.1103/revmodphys.90.045002 · 1,241 citations). Source: > Although dark matter is a central element of modern cosmology, the history of how it became accepted as part of the dominant paradigm is often ignored or condensed into a brief anecdotical account focused around the work of a few pioneering scientists. The aim of this review is to provide the reader with a broader historical perspective on the observational discoveries and the theoretical arguments that led the scientific community to adopt dark matter as an essential part of the standard cosmological model. - **[Dark matter self-interactions and small scale structure](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1705.02358)**. Sean Tulin, Hai-Bo Yu · 2017 · Physics Reports (arXiv:1705.02358 · doi:10.1016/j.physrep.2017.11.004 · 1,119 citations). Source: > We review theories of dark matter (DM) beyond the collisionless paradigm, known as self-interacting dark matter (SIDM), and their observable implications for astrophysical structure in the Universe. Self-interactions are motivated, in part, due to the potential to explain long-standing (and more recent) small scale structure observations that are in tension with collisionless cold DM (CDM) predictions. Simple particle physics models for SIDM can provide a universal explanation for these observations across a wide range of mass scales spanning dwarf galaxies, low and high surface brightness spi… - **[The Taiji Program in Space for gravitational wave physics and the nature of gravity](https://space-kitty.com/papers/doi:10.1093/nsr/nwx116)**. Wenrui Hu, Yue-Liang Wu · 2017 · National Science Review (doi:10.1093/nsr/nwx116 · 1,017 citations). Source: > The discovery of gravitational waves (GWs) by the LIGO collaboration \[1\] in 2016 has provided a direct test on the prediction made by Albert Einstein a century ago based on his general theory of relativity \[2\]. It has caused a significant influence worldwide on the basic research in science. Space-based GW detection has become the next interesting target for the further study on the gravitational universe as space-based GW detection would reach a wider range of gravitational radiation sources than the ground-based GW detection can \[3\]. After the LISA/eLISA strategic plan \[4\] on space-based GW … > _Abstract excerpt by Wenrui Hu et al., CC-BY, https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwx116; truncated._ - **[The waning of the WIMP? A review of models, searches, and constraints](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1703.07364)**. Giorgio Arcadi, Maíra Dutra, Pradipta Ghosh et al. · 2018 · The European Physical Journal C (arXiv:1703.07364 · doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-018-5662-y · 906 citations). Source: > Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are among the best-motivated dark matter candidates. In light of no conclusive detection signal yet despite an extensive search program that combines, often in a complementary way, direct, indirect, and collider probes, we find it timely to give a broad overview of the WIMP paradigm. In particular, we review here the theoretical foundations of the WIMP paradigm, discuss status and prospects of various detection strategies, and explore future experimental challenges and opportunities. - **[micrOMEGAs\_3: A program for calculating dark matter observables](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1305.0237)**. G. Bélanger, F. Boudjema, Alexander Pukhov et al. · 2013 · Computer Physics Communications (arXiv:1305.0237 · doi:10.1016/j.cpc.2013.10.016 · 814 citations). Source: > micrOMEGAs is a code to compute dark matter observables in generic extensions of the standard model. This new version of micrOMEGAs is a major update which includes a generalization of the Boltzmann equations to accommodate models with asymmetric dark matter or with semi-annihilation and a first approach to a generalization of the thermodynamics of the Universe in the relic density computation. Furthermore a switch to include virtual vector bosons in the final states in the annihilation cross sections or relic density computations is added. Effective operators to describe loop-induced coupling… - **[Black holes, gravitational waves and fundamental physics: a roadmap](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1806.05195)**. Abbas Askar, C. Belczynski, Gianfranco Bertone et al. · 2019 · Classical and Quantum Gravity (arXiv:1806.05195 · doi:10.1088/1361-6382/ab0587 · 748 citations). Source: > The grand challenges of contemporary fundamental physics---dark matter, dark energy, vacuum energy, inflation and early universe cosmology, singularities and the hierarchy problem---all involve gravity as a key component. And of all gravitational phenomena, black holes stand out in their elegant simplicity, while harbouring some of the most remarkable predictions of General Relativity: event horizons, singularities and ergoregions. The hitherto invisible landscape of the gravitational Universe is being unveiled before our eyes: the historical direct detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO… - **[Dark Matter Search Results from the CDMS II Experiment](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:0912.3592)**. The CDMS Collaboration, Z. Ahmed · 2010 · Science (arXiv:0912.3592 · doi:10.1126/science.1186112 · 811 citations). Source: > We report results from a blind analysis of the final data taken with the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search experiment (CDMS II) at the Soudan Underground Laboratory, Minnesota, USA. A total raw exposure of 612 kg-days was analyzed for this work. We observed two events in the signal region; based on our background estimate, the probability of observing two or more background events is 23%. These data set an upper limit on the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP)-nucleon elastic-scattering spin-independent cross-section of 7.0x10^{-44} cm^2 for a WIMP of mass 70 GeV/c^2 at the 90% confidence le… - **[Implication of neutrino backgrounds on the reach of next generation dark matter direct detection experiments](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1307.5458)**. Julien Billard, Enectali Figueroa-Feliciano, Louis E. Strigari · 2014 · Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields (arXiv:1307.5458 · doi:10.1103/physrevd.89.023524 · 719 citations). Source: > As direct dark matter experiments continue to increase in size, they will become sensitive to neutrinos from astrophysical sources. For experiments that do not have directional sensitivity, coherent neutrino scattering (CNS) from several sources represents an important background to understand, as it can almost perfectly mimic an authentic WIMP signal. Here we explore in detail the effect of neutrino backgrounds on the discovery potential of WIMPs over the entire mass range of 500 MeV to 10 TeV. We show that, given the theoretical and measured uncertainties on the neutrino backgrounds, direct … - **[WIMP dark matter candidates and searches—current status and future prospects](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1707.06277)**. Leszek Roszkowski, Enrico Maria Sessolo, Sebastian Trojanowski · 2018 · Reports on Progress in Physics (arXiv:1707.06277 · doi:10.1088/1361-6633/aab913 · 655 citations). Source: > We review several current aspects of dark matter theory and experiment. We overview the present experimental status, which includes current bounds and recent claims and hints of a possible signal in a wide range of experiments: direct detection in underground laboratories, gamma-ray, cosmic ray, X-ray, neutrino telescopes, and the LHC. We briefly review several possible particle candidates for a Weakly Interactive Massive Particle (WIMP) and dark matter that have recently been considered in the literature. We pay particular attention to the lightest neutralino of supersymmetry as it remains th… - **[DarkSide-20k: A 20 tonne two-phase LAr TPC for direct dark matter detection at LNGS](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1707.08145)**. C.E. Aalseth, Fabio Acerbi, P. Agnes et al. · 2018 · The European Physical Journal Plus (arXiv:1707.08145 · doi:10.1140/epjp/i2018-11973-4 · 616 citations). Source: > Building on the successful experience in operating the DarkSide-50 detector, the DarkSide Collaboration is going to construct DarkSide-20k, a direct WIMP search detector using a two-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) with an active (fiducial) mass of 23 t (20 t). The DarkSide-20k LArTPC will be deployed within a shield/veto with a spherical Liquid Scintillator Veto (LSV) inside a cylindrical Water Cherenkov Veto (WCV). Operation of DarkSide-50 demonstrated a major reduction in the dominant $^{39}$Ar background when using argon extracted from an underground source, before apply… - **[Constraints on dark matter from colliders](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1008.1783)**. Jessica Goodman, Masahiro Ibe, Arvind Rajaraman B et al. · 2010 · Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields (arXiv:1008.1783 · doi:10.1103/physrevd.82.116010 · 630 citations). Source: > We show that colliders can impose strong constraints on models of dark matter, in particular when the dark matter is light. We analyze models where the dark matter is a fermion or scalar interacting with quarks and/or gluons through an effective theory containing higher dimensional operators which represent heavier states that have been integrated out of the effective field theory. We determine bounds from existing Tevatron searches for monojets as well as expected LHC reaches for a discovery. We find that colliders can provide information which is complementary or in some cases even superior … - **[Direct detection of sub-GeV dark matter](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:1108.5383)**. Rouven Essig, Jeremy Mardon, Tomer Volansky A · 2012 · Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields (arXiv:1108.5383 · doi:10.1103/physrevd.85.076007 · 621 citations). Source: > Direct detection strategies are proposed for dark matter particles with MeV to GeV mass. In this largely unexplored mass range, dark matter scattering with electrons can cause single-electron ionization signals, which are detectable with current technology. Ultraviolet photons, individual ions, and heat are interesting alternative signals. Focusing on ionization, we calculate the expected dark matter scattering rates and estimate the sensitivity of possible experiments. Backgrounds that may be relevant are discussed. Theoretically interesting models can be probed with existing technologies, an… ## Newest - **[The Korean Space Telescope (KST): A Dedicated Space Observatory for the Dark Universe](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.39094)**. M. James Jee, Ho Seong Hwang, Dongwook Lim et al. · 2026 (arXiv:2610.39094). Source: - **[Cosmic birefringence tomography with radio galaxies I: Testing birefringence solutions to the CMB-BAO tension](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.39449)**. Toshiya Namikawa, Fumihiro Naokawa, Richard Battye et al. · 2026 (arXiv:2610.39449). Source: - **[Cosmological axion-photon interactions with a nonminimal dark gauge sector](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.39473)**. Hao Jiao, Dong-Won Jung, Nils A. Nilsson · 2026 (arXiv:2610.39473). Source: - **[Dark sector searches at BESIII](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.39618)**. Zhijun Li, Zhengyun You · 2026 (arXiv:2610.39618). Source: - **[Searching for axion-like particles with space-based optical lattice clock networks](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.39725)**. Yu-Song Cao, Nick Houston, YanXia Liu et al. · 2026 (arXiv:2610.39725). Source: - **[Dwarf Galaxy Reticulum II's MeerKAT L-Band Observation: Constraining WIMP Dark Matter](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.39752)**. Phillip Badenhorst, Michael Sarkis, Yin-Zhe Ma et al. · 2026 (arXiv:2610.39752). Source: - **[Looking for gravitational waves with orbital dynamics: GUEST mission and the $μ$Hz band of Gravitational Waves](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.39881)**. Diego Blas · 2026 (arXiv:2610.39881). Source: - **[At the EDGES of MADness: phenomenology of relic millicharged atomic dark matter](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.40064)**. Eleonora Vanzan, Kimberly K. Boddy, Ely D. Kovetz · 2026 (arXiv:2610.40064). Source: - **[Going off the (momentum) grid: A simple implementation of noncold relics in linear Boltzmann solvers](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.40275)**. Arad Nasiri, Murali Saravanan, Caio B. de S. Nascimento · 2026 (arXiv:2610.40275). Source: - **[Cosmological tests of chameleon dark energy with dark sector coupling](https://space-kitty.com/papers/arxiv:2610.40347)**. Jia-Qi Wang, Zong-Kuan Guo, Shao-Jiang Wang · 2026 (arXiv:2610.40347). 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