Abstract
The nineteenth century’s quest for the missing matter (Vulcan) ended with the publication of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. We contend that the current quest for the missing matter is parallel in its perseverance and in its ultimate futility. After setting the search for dark matter in its historic perspective, we critique extant dark matter models and offer alternative explanations—derived from a Lorentz-invariant Lagrangian—that will, at the very least, sow seeds of doubt about the existence of dark matter.
Highlights
The Nineteenth Century The most puzzling and, perhaps, the most important problem of contemporary physics is finding a persuasive explanation of the supposed astronomical evidence for dark matter—invisible matter that is only “observed” through its gravitational effects on visible matter
There was no conflict between gravitational theory and astronomical observations, but this brief period of harmony lasted less than two decades
In the 1930’s, discrepancies between gravitational theory and astronomic observations began to resurface, this time for models of galactic scale where Newtonian gravity is in accord with GTR
Summary
The Nineteenth Century The most puzzling and, perhaps, the most important problem of contemporary physics is finding a persuasive explanation of the supposed astronomical evidence for dark matter—invisible matter that is only “observed” through its gravitational effects on visible matter. This enigma is only the latest chapter of a story of perceived conflict between gravitational theory and astronomic observations. Applying Bertrand’s theory, Asaph Hall [3] in 1894 had the temerity to suggest that the exponent in Newtonian gravity was not −2 precisely, but −2.00000016 This would explain the anomalous secular motion of the perihelion of Mercury. There was no conflict between gravitational theory and astronomical observations, but this brief period of harmony lasted less than two decades
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