What Is Dark Matter?

Hardback

Main Details

Title What Is Dark Matter?
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Peter Fisher
SeriesPrinceton Frontiers in Physics
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:192
Dimensions(mm): Height 203,Width 127
Category/GenreAstronomy, space and time
ISBN/Barcode 9780691148342
ClassificationsDewey:523.1126
Audience
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Illustrations 41 b/w illus.

Publishing Details

Publisher Princeton University Press
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publication Date 12 July 2022
Publication Country United States

Description

What we know about dark matter and what we have yet to discover. Astronomical observations have confirmed dark matter's existence, but what exactly is dark matter? In What Is Dark Matter?, particle physicist Peter Fisher introduces readers to one of the most intriguing frontiers of physics. We cannot actually see dark matter, a mysterious, nonluminous form of matter that is believed to account for about 27 percent of the mass-energy balance in the universe. But we know dark matter is present by observing its ghostly gravitational effects on the behaviour and evolution of galaxies. Fisher brings readers quickly up to speed regarding the current state of the dark matter problem, offering relevant historical context as well as a close look at the cutting-edge research focused on revealing dark matter's true nature. Could dark matter be a new type of particle - an axion or a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) - or something else? What have physicists ruled out so far - and why? What experimental searches are now underway and planned for the near future, in hopes of detecting dark matter on Earth or in space? Fisher explores these questions and more, illuminating what is known and unknown, and what a triumph it will be when scientists discover dark matter's identity at last.

Author Biography

Peter Fisher is the Thomas A. Frank (1977) Professor of Physics and serves as head of the Physics Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.