English

Rotation curves and the dark matter problem

Popular Physics 2023-09-13 v1 Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics Astrophysics of Galaxies

Abstract

The concept of dark matter in the Universe and its components has been discussed in the 1930s by several authors, and in particular by Oort (1932) and Zwicky (1933). However, it is only in the 1970s that the existence of dark matter was considered convincing, thanks in part to observations of the rotation curves of galaxies. This dark matter should be present at multiple scales, in the solar neighborhood, our Galaxy, near and distant galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and the entire Universe. The subject attracts a very large community to discover the nature of this material, without achieving it. I will present my version of the history of this subject, trying to shed light on some philosophical aspects.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2309.06390,
  title  = {Rotation curves and the dark matter problem},
  author = {Albert Bosma},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2309.06390},
  year   = {2023}
}

Comments

17 pages, 7 figures, invited review, book chapter in "Connaitre le Cosmos. Enjeux philosophiques et scientifiques", Eds. Beyne S. & Bernard J., Spartacus, collection Nouvelle Vision des Sciences, in press

R2 v1 2026-06-28T12:19:27.700Z