Dark Matter

Abstract

The nature of the main constituents of the mass of the universe is one of the outstanding riddles of cosmology and astro-particle physics. Current models explaining the evolution of the universe, and measurements of the various components of its mass, all have in common that an appreciable contribution to that mass is non-luminous and non-baryonic, and that a large fraction of this so-called dark matter must be in the form of non-relativistic massive particles (Cold Dark Matter: CDM). In the spirit of the Lake Louise Winter Institute Lectures we take a look at the latest astronomical discoveries and report on the status of direct and indirect Dark Matter searches.