3.4 Summary

summary

Of the many open questions regarding WIMPs, one is that scientists would like to have the directional sensitivity to know from where WIMPs are coming.
One way to do so includes looking at how WIMPs might trigger gold atoms to break DNA molecules.
A second way to do so is to detect “nano-booms” in metals, which WIMPs could heat up and in which they could cause tiny explosions.
A third way includes looking for event WIMP annihilations that would emit gamma rays that can be detected.
Dark matter has many implications for particle physics, including the masses of fundamental particles and the theory of strong interactions, as well as for astrophysics by learning about the kind of objects in our universe.
Even though we have strong theoretical motivation for dark matter, we still cannot predict when it will actually be detected.