The WIMP Paradigm: Theme and Variations

Abstract

WIMPs, weakly-interacting massive particles, have been leading candidates for particle dark matter for decades, and they remain a viable and highly motivated possibility. In these lectures, I describe the basic motivations for WIMPs, beginning with the WIMP miracle and its under-appreciated cousin, the discrete WIMP miracle. I then give an overview of some of the basic features of WIMPs and how to find them. These lectures conclude with some variations on the WIMP theme that have by now become significant topics in their own right and illustrate the richness of the WIMP paradigm.

arXiv comment36 pages; lectures given at the 2021 Les Houches Summer School on Dark Matter, submitted to SciPost Physics Lecture Notes, Les Houches Summer School Series. v2: minor revisions, references added

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