History of dark matter - Review of Modern Physics Volume 90 - October–December 2018

Oct 4, 2026

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Dark matter is presented as a central pillar of modern cosmology, yet its historical acceptance is often reduced to brief anecdotes. This review reconstructs, in broader historical perspective, the observational discoveries and theoretical arguments that led the scientific community to adopt dark matter within the standard cosmological model. It surveys 20th-century developments, from early dynamical estimates to current efforts to determine its particle nature, combining analysis of primary sources with modern synthesis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages33

Reading Time1 h 23 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

Prehistory

From Epicurus to Galileo

Dark stars, dark planets, dark clouds

Dynamical evidence

Galaxy Clusters

Zwicky and Smith

A confusing situation

Galactic Rotation Curves

The beginnings

The 1970s revolution

Local measurements

Baryonic Dark Matter

Gravitational microlensing

The Universe’s baryon budget

Primordial black holes

Modified Gravity

Toward a realistic theory of MOND

Observational successes and failures

Dark Matter Particles

Neutrinos

Supersymmetry

Axions

The WIMP paradigm

Piecing the Puzzle

Discrepancies at all scales

Cosmology

Numerical simulations

The Hunt for Dark Matter Particles

Scattering with nuclei

Annihilation and decay

Axion experiments

UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) History of dark matter Bertone, G. ; Hooper, D. DOI 10.1103/RevModPhys.90.045002 Publication date 2018 Document Version Final published version Published in Reviews of Modern Physics Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Bertone, G. , & Hooper, D. (2018) . History of dark matter. Reviews of Modern Physics, 90(4), Article 045002. [https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.90.045002](https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.90.045002) General rights It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons) . Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: [https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact](https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact), or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, P.O. Box 19185 , 1000 GD Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam ( [http](https://dare. uva. nl)[s](https://dare. uva. nl)[://dare. uva. nl](https://dare. uva. nl)) Download date:04 Oct 2026 REVIEWS OF MODERN PHYSICS, VOLUME 90, OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2018 History of dark matter Gianfranco Bertone GRAPPA, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904 1098XH Amsterdam, Netherlands Dan Hooper Center for Particle Astrophysics, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA and Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA (published 15 October 2018) Although dark matter is a central element of modern cosmology, the history of how it became accepted as part of the dominant paradigm is often ignored or condensed into an anecdotal account focused around the work of a few pioneering scientists. The aim of this review is to provide a broader historical perspective on the observational discoveries and the theoretical arguments that led the scientific community to adopt dark matter as an essential part of the standard cosmological model. DOI: 10.1103/RevModPhys.90.045002 CONTENTS I. Preface 1 II. Prehistory 2 A. From Epicurus to Galileo 2 B. Dark stars, dark planets, dark clouds 3 C. Dynamical evidence 3 III. Galaxy Clusters 4 A. Zwicky and Smith 4 B. A confusing situation 6 IV. Galactic Rotation Curves 7 A. The beginnings 7 B. The 1970s revolution 8 C. Local measurements 10 V. Baryonic Dark Matter 11 A. Gravitational microlensing 11 B. The Universe’s baryon budget 12 C. Primordial black holes 13 VI. Modified Gravity 13 A. Toward a realistic theory of MOND 13 B. Observational successes and failures 14 VII. Dark Matter Particles 15 A. Neutrinos 15 B. Supersymmetry 17 C. Axions 19 D. The WIMP paradigm 20 VIII. Piecing the Puzzle 21 A. Discrepancies at all scales 21 B. Cosmology 22 C. Numerical simulations 22 IX. The Hunt for Dark Matter Particles 24 A. Scattering with nuclei 24 B. Annihilation and decay 25 C. Axion experiments 27 Acknowledgments 27 Appendix: Further Reading 27 References 28 I. PREFACE Dark matter plays a central role in our understanding of modern cosmology. But despite its significance, many of the scientists active in this area of research know relatively little about its interesting history and how it came to be accepted asthe standard explanation for a wide variety of astrophysical observations. Most publications and presentations on this topic—whether at a technical or a popular level—either ignore

FAQs

What is the main goal of the review on dark matter?

To provide a broader historical perspective on the observational discoveries and theoretical arguments that led to dark matter being adopted as essential within the standard cosmological model.

Which time period does the review focus on most?

The review’s focus is the 20th century, starting with early dynamical estimates of dark matter’s abundance and extending to its role in the current standard cosmological model and strategies to reveal its particle nature.

How does the review ground its historical analysis?

It is largely based on analysis of primary sources, including scanned versions of scientific articles and books from the 19th and 20th centuries, accessible through NASA ADS and the Internet Archive.

Oct 4, 2026

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