Cold dark matter (CDM) as a research area encompasses theoretical, computational, and observational studies of non-relativistic, weakly interacting matter that dominates the matter density of the Universe and seeds structure formation. Research focuses on modeling CDM’s impact on cosmic microwave background anisotropies, large-scale structure, galaxy and cluster halos, and substructure through N-body simulations and analytic frameworks such as linear perturbation theory and halo models. It also investigates constraints from gravitational lensing, galaxy dynamics, and cosmological surveys, and explores candidate particle properties via indirect astrophysical signatures and their consistency with precision cosmology and alternative dark matter scenarios.
In the era of precision cosmology, research often means big science: large observatories, highly complex instruments, international collaborations and substantial funding. Yet even in such an advanced field, progress is still ...
Astronomy
Apr 17, 2026
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Gravity, as most people understand it, is the familiar force that pulls a falling apple toward Earth. But for astronomers and theoretical physicists, it is also a vexing invisible architect that guides the shape and evolution ...
General Physics
Apr 15, 2026
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New research suggests that relic black holes from before the big bang may still shape galaxies today. These black holes could explain dark matter, one of the biggest unsolved questions in cosmology.
Astronomy
Apr 14, 2026
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A study led by UC Riverside physicist Hai-Bo Yu suggests that a new type of dark matter could explain three astrophysical puzzles across vastly different environments. Published in Physical Review Letters, the study proposes ...
Astronomy
Apr 13, 2026
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Deep underground in a Canadian mine, a refrigerator nearly 1,000 times colder than outer space has just reached its target temperature—a milestone that brings scientists one step closer to potentially detecting dark matter, ...
General Physics
Apr 10, 2026
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When an invisible entity making up 85% of the universe's mass stumps the greatest scientific minds of our time, awe is an understandable response.
General Physics
Mar 29, 2026
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A team of cosmologists in China has introduced a mathematical framework that investigates two of the deepest mysteries in cosmology at the same time. Publishing their research in The Astrophysical Journal, Yun Chen and colleagues ...
A group of US astronomers may have uncovered the first evidence for a dark matter sub-halo lurking just beyond our stellar neighborhood. Reporting their findings in Physical Review Letters, a team led by Sukanya Chakrabarti ...
Ciaran O'Hare scribbles symbols using colored markers across his whiteboard like he's trying to solve a crime—or perhaps planning one. He bounces around the edges of the board, slowly filling it with sharp angles and curling ...
General Physics
Feb 5, 2026
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Our Milky Way galaxy may not have a supermassive black hole at its center but rather an enormous clump of mysterious dark matter exerting the same gravitational influence, astronomers say. They believe this invisible substance—which ...
Astronomy
Feb 5, 2026
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