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Dictionary definition: cold dark matter
- Article from:
- A Dictionary of Astronomy
Copyright© A Dictionary of Astronomy 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. (Hide copyright information)
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cold dark matter (
CDM
)
A particular type of
non-baryonic matter
that, according to some theories, is created in the early stages of the Big Bang and survives to the present time in sufficient numbers to contribute significantly to the present density of the Universe. The term ‘cold’ signifies that these particles move at speeds much less than that of light, usually because they are heavy. There ...