Yet Another Introduction to Dark Matter

Abstract: Dark matter is, arguably, the most widely discussed topic in contemporary particle physics. Written in the language of particle physics and quantum field theory, these notes focus on a set of standard calculations needed to understand different dark matter candidates. After introducing some general features of such dark matter agents, we introduce a set of established models which guide us through four experimental aspects: the dark matter relic density extracted from the cosmic microwave background, indirect detection including the Fermi galactic center excess, direct detection, and collider searches.