Description
Although there is substantial gravitational evidence for the existence of dark matter, its nature
as a new particle beyond the Standard Model remains one of the biggest mysteries in modern
astrophysics. The favourite theoretical model, Cold Dark Matter (CDM), assumes
that non-gravitational dark matter interactions are irrelevant for galaxy formation and evolution.
Surprisingly, current astronomical observations allow significant departures from the CDM hypothesis
that have a relevant impact on our understanding of how galaxies
form and evolve. Moreover, the observed properties of the smallest galaxies have been consistently
in conflict with the predictions of the CDM model.
In this talk, I will argue that to explain galaxy formation and evolution in the
broadest sense, an effective dark matter theory must contain a wider range of dark matter particle physics
without spoiling the success of CDM in reproducing the large-scale structure of the Universe, while
addressing its outstanding challenges at the scales of individual galaxies.