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Cold dark matter (the ΛCDM model)

George BlumenthalSandra FaberJoel PrimackMartin ReesDouglas Clowe

This page delivers no verdict; it presents claims and evidence with their sources. No theory in science is absolute. Method

For everyone

On this view about four-fifths of the matter in the universe consists of slow-moving ("cold") particles that do not interact with light. Together with dark energy (Λ) it forms the standard model of cosmology (ΛCDM). The model successfully explains the cosmic microwave background, the large-scale distribution of galaxies and observations such as the Bullet Cluster. Despite decades of searching, however, dark matter particles have not been detected directly in the laboratory.

For specialists

In 1984 Blumenthal and colleagues showed that cold dark matter can explain the formation of galaxies and clusters in agreement with observations. The Planck satellite's 2018 data give the dark matter density as Ωch² ≈ 0.120. At galaxy scale there are tensions such as the "cusp–core" problem and fewer satellite galaxies than expected; whether these can be explained by baryonic feedback is debated. WIMPs, axions and sterile neutrinos are the main particle candidates.

Claims

Evidence

Supporting

Observation

In the Bullet Cluster the mass centres found by gravitational lensing are clearly offset from the X-ray-emitting hot gas, showing that most of the mass is not in the visible gas.[3]

Measurement

The heights of the peaks in the power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background agree with high precision with a dark matter component separate from baryons.[2]

Challenging

Experiment

LZ, one of the world's most sensitive direct-detection experiments, found no signal from WIMP-type dark matter particles and set strict upper limits on possible interactions.[4]

Connections

Parent

Dark matter

Builds on

General relativity

Argued against by

Modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND)

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Sources

  1. ArticleBlumenthal, G. R.; Faber, S. M.; Primack, J. R.; Rees, M. J. (1984). Formation of galaxies and large-scale structure with cold dark matter. Nature 311, 517–525DOI 10.1038/311517a0archive
  2. ArticlePlanck Collaboration (2020). Planck 2018 results. VI. Cosmological parameters. Astronomy & Astrophysics 641, A6DOI 10.1051/0004-6361/201833910archive
  3. ArticleClowe, D. et al. (2006). A direct empirical proof of the existence of dark matter. The Astrophysical Journal 648, L109–L113DOI 10.1086/508162archive
  4. ArticleLZ Collaboration (2023). First dark matter search results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment. Physical Review Letters 131, 041002DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.041002archive

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Cite this page

APA

Athena contributors. (2026). Cold dark matter (the ΛCDM model). Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/soguk-karanlik-madde/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_soguk_karanlik_madde,
  title        = {Cold dark matter (the ΛCDM model)},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/soguk-karanlik-madde/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 28, 2026 · Last changed: September 28, 2026 · Page history

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