Self-Interacting Dark Matter

Abstract

Spergel and Steinhardt have recently proposed the concept of dark matter with strong self-interactions as a means to address numerous discrepancies between observations of dark matter halos on subgalactic scales and the predictions of the standard collisionless dark matter picture. We review the motivations for this scenario and discuss some recent, successful numerical tests. We also discuss the possibility that the dark matter interacts strongly with ordinary baryonic matter, as well as with itself. We present a new analysis of the experimental constraints and re-evaluate the allowed range of cross-section and mass.

12 pages, 3 figures; minor typos corrected. To appear in Proceedings of Dark Matter 2000