Particle dark matter : an overview ∗ Palash

I discuss some compelling suggestions about particles which could be the dark matter in the universe, with special attention to experimental searches for them. This is the write-up of a talk given at a conference where I was probably the only particle physicist. My task was to give an overview of one area of cosmology which has a symbiotic relation with particle physics — viz., the candidates for dark matter. I could proceed in two ways. One is to give very brief outlines of all different suggestions (or all I know about) for dark matter candidate particles. The second is to focus on a few compelling ones, and give some details of them. After some thought, I chose the second path. I will divide this talk into three sections, by three different kinds of particles which are potential candidates for dark matter.