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Observational Evidence for Extra Dimensions from Dark Matter

Bo Qin·Ue-Li Pen·Joseph Silk
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Abstract

Recent astronomical observations of systems of dark matter, which have been cited as providing possible support for self-interacting cold dark matter, may provide evidence for the extra dimensions predicted by superstring scenarios. We find that the properties of the required dark matter self-interaction are precisely the consequences of a world with 3 large extra dimensions of size \~1nm, where gravity follows the r^{-5} law at scales below ~1nm. From the cross sections measured for various dark matter systems, we also constrain the mass of dark matter particles to be m_x ~ 3*10^{-16} proton mass, consistent with the mass of axions.

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Bo Qin, Ue-Li Pen, Joseph Silk. 2005-08-26. Observational Evidence for Extra Dimensions from Dark Matter. https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0508572

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