Theories of particle dark matter

This brief review outlines some of the most attractive theoretical motivations for particle dark matter, and illustrates how they fit into the bigger context of physics beyond the Standard Model. Particular emphasis is given to the generic properties of theories of dark matter, and how the mechanism by which it interacts with the Standard Model particles influences its phenomenology. Brief descriptions of the most popular models, including supersymmetric theories and theories with universal extra dimensions are discussed. (C) 2012 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.