Before WIMPs: Neutrinos and the origins of particle dark matter
Abstract
After four decades of null-results, the experimental quest to discover a dark matter particle ardently continues. While confidence in the leading candidate, the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP), is waning, its explanatory success still shapes current experimental approaches and theoretical expectations - from underground detecting efforts in Europe, China, and the U.S. to modern theories of cosmic structure. This paper traces the origins of this particle-based paradigm to a critical predecessor: the neutrino-dominated universe. Proposed in the early 1970s as a solution to extra-galactic anomalies, neutrinos became the leading explanation of 'missing matter' following experimental hints of neutrino mass in 1980. Although short-lived, the model's coherent picture of cosmic evolution and structure formation set strong conceptual and methodological standards - providing critical impetus to the field of particle cosmology. Examining this history invites renewed reflection on how such past aims and expectations continue to guide dark matter inquiry today.
Related
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BibTeX
@misc{swart2026before,
title = {{Before WIMPs: Neutrinos and the origins of particle dark matter}},
author = {Jaco de Swart},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.25239},
eprint = {2609.25239},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.25239},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Before WIMPs: Neutrinos and the origins of particle dark matter
AU - Jaco de Swart
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.25239
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.25239
AB - After four decades of null-results, the experimental quest to discover a dark matter particle ardently continues. While confidence in the leading candidate, the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP), is waning, its explanatory success still shapes current experimental approaches and theoretical expectations - from underground detecting efforts in Europe, China, and the U.S. to modern theories of cosmic structure. This paper traces the origins of this particle-based paradigm to a critical predecessor: the neutrino-dominated universe. Proposed in the early 1970s as a solution to extra-galactic anomalies, neutrinos became the leading explanation of 'missing matter' following experimental hints of neutrino mass in 1980. Although short-lived, the model's coherent picture of cosmic evolution and structure formation set strong conceptual and methodological standards - providing critical impetus to the field of particle cosmology. Examining this history invites renewed reflection on how such past aims and expectations continue to guide dark matter inquiry today.
ER -