muonin

Muonin is a hypothetical elementary particle that has been proposed as a candidate for dark matter. It is theorized to be a fermion, a type of particle that includes electrons and quarks, and to interact very weakly with ordinary matter, which is a key characteristic of dark matter candidates. The name "muonin" suggests a connection to the muon, a heavier cousin of the electron. This implies that the muonin might share some properties with muons, such as a specific spin. However, the exact mass and other properties of the muonin are not yet determined and are subjects of ongoing theoretical and experimental investigation.

The concept of the muonin arises from extensions to the Standard Model of particle physics, which attempts to describe all known fundamental particles and forces. These extensions often introduce new particles to explain phenomena that the Standard Model cannot, such as the existence of dark matter. If muonin exists, it would likely be produced in high-energy particle collisions, although detecting such weakly interacting particles would be extremely challenging. Experiments designed to search for dark matter, such as those using deep underground detectors, could potentially find evidence for muonin if it constitutes a significant portion of the universe's dark matter. The search for muonin is part of a broader effort to understand the nature of dark matter and the fundamental composition of the cosmos.