Abstract
Up to now searches for Dark Matter (DM) detection have not been successful, either because our paradigm in howDMsignals should look like are wrong or the detector sensitivity is still too low in spite of the large progress made in recent years. We discuss both possibilities starting with what we know about DM from cosmology and why Supersymmetry provides such an interesting paradigm for cosmology and particle physics in order to appreciate what it means to give up this paradigm. In addition, we compare the predicted cross sections for direct and indirect DM detection with observations with emphasis on the latest developments. Especially, we discuss the possible origins of the two hotly debated candidates for a DM annihilation signal, namely the positron excess and the Fermi GeV excess, which are unfortunately incompatible with each other and more mundane astrophysical explanations exist.
Highlights
The only signals for the existence of dark matter (DM) have a gravitational origin, from the flat rotation curves in present galaxies, to the fast formation of Galaxies and the power spectra of their distributions and the acoustic peaks in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) in the early universe. These gravitational interactions suggest that the DM consists of particles, just like normal matter, but having only weak interactions, as demonstrated by the large halos of DM around the Galaxies leading to the flat rotation curves
Since the annihilation cross section is 10 orders of magnitude higher than the upper limit on the scattering cross section of DM particles on nuclei, a reasonable explanation is that the interactions between DM and visible matter are dominated by the exchange of Higgs particles, as e.g. strongly preferred in the NMSSM model of Supersymmetry
In this case the DM particle is singlino-like, in which case the cross sections may be below the ”neutrino floor” of the inevitably large background from neutrinos
Summary
Excellent candidate, the so-called lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), other candidates exist [7]. Supersymmetry has many other advantages, as will be discussed in Sect. The DM searches and interpretations are discussed in Sect. 5) we summarize why at present no DM signals have been observed, which is either because our paradigm of WIMP detection is wrong or because the experiments are not sensitive enough. In Supersymmetry the latter is possible, but future experiments will be able to cover a large region of the available parameter space. If still no DM signals are found with future experiments, the pressure to look for another paradigm will increase correspondingly
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