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How dark matter came to matter

Nature Astronomy volume 1, Article number: 0059 (2017) Cite this article

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A Corrigendum to this article was published on 06 March 2017

Abstract

The history of the dark matter problem can be traced back to at least the 1930s, but it was not until the early 1970s that the issue of ‘missing matter’ was widely recognized as problematic. In the latter period, previously separate issues involving missing mass were brought together in a single anomaly. We argue that reference to a straightforward accumulation of evidence alone is inadequate to comprehend this episode. Rather, the rise of cosmological research, the accompanying renewed interest in the theory of relativity and changes in the manpower division of astronomy in the 1960s are key to understanding how dark matter came to matter. At the same time, this story may also enlighten us on the methodological dimensions of past practices of physics and cosmology.

Uncovering the nature of dark matter — the mysterious substance that dominates the mass budget of the Universe from sub-galactic to cosmological scales — is arguably one of the greatest challenges of modern physics and cosmology. Indeed, many physicists and astronomers across the world are today trying to identify the nature of dark matter1. In 2016 alone, for example, an average of at least three publications with dark matter in their title appeared every day (see the SAO/NASA Astrophysical Data System; http://ads.harvard.edu/).

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Figure 1: Indications of flat rotation curves in the early 1970s.
Figure 2: The rise in astronomy personnel during the 1960s.
Figure 3: The growth in cosmology papers.
Figure 4: Peebles, Abell, Longair and Einasto.

COLLECTION OF J. EINASTO

Figure 5: Two 1974 diagrams that plot the relation between the mass and the radius of galactic systems.

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Acknowledgements

The transcripts of the interviews are archived at the Niels Bohr Library & Archive, American Institute of Physics. We warmly thank V. Trimble for her elaborate comments and suggestions, and all interviewees for their interest and cooperation. The interviews in this article have been made possible by a grant-in-aid from the Friends of the Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics, and the kind support of the Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University. This work is partly financed by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO; project number SPI 63-260). G.B. acknowledges support from the European Research Council through the ERC starting grant WIMPs Kairos.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Theoretical Physics Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,

    J. G. de Swart, G. Bertone & J. van Dongen

  2. Vossius Center for the History of the Humanities and Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,

    J. G. de Swart & J. van Dongen

  3. GRAPPA, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,

    J. G. de Swart & G. Bertone

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  1. J. G. de Swart
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  2. G. Bertone
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  3. J. van Dongen
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J.G.d.S. conducted the historical research and interviews, and prepared the manuscript. G.B. and J.v.D. defined the project, supervised the research, gave technical and conceptual advice, and contributed to the writing of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to J. G. de Swart.

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de Swart, J., Bertone, G. & van Dongen, J. How dark matter came to matter. Nat Astron 1, 0059 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-017-0059

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