This is the mini-review on Dark Matter in the 2012 edition of the Particle Data Groups Review of Particle Properties. After briefly summarizing the arguments in favor of the existence of Dark Matter, we list possible candidates, ranging in mass from
a fraction of an eV (e.g., axions) to many solar masses (e.g., primordial black holes), and discuss ways to detect them. The main emphasis is on Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). A large international effort is being made to detect them directly, or else to detect their annihilation products. We explain why we consider all claims to have established a positive signal for WIMPs in either direct or indirect detection to be premature. We also introduce the concept of a {it WIMP safe} minimal mass; below this mass, the interpretation of a given direct search experiment depends strongly on the tail of the WIMP velocity distribution and/or on the experimental energy resolution.
The color gauge hyper-multiplet in N=2 supersymmetry consists of the usual N=1 gauge vector/gaugino super-multiplet, joined with a novel gaugino/scalar super-multiplet. Large cross sections are predicted for the production of pairs of the color-octet
scalars $sigma$ [sgluons] at the LHC: $gg, qbar{q} to sigmasigma^{ast}$. Single $sigma$ production is possible at one-loop level, but the $g gto sigma$ amplitude vanishes in the limit of degenerate $L$ and $R$ squarks. When kinematically allowed, $sigma$ decays predominantly into two gluinos, whose cascade decays give rise to a burst of eight or more jets together with four LSPs as signature for $sigma$ pair events at the LHC. $sigma$ can also decay into a squark-antisquark pair at tree level. At one-loop level $sigma$ decays into gluons or a $t bar t$ pair are predicted, generating exciting resonance signatures in the final states. The corresponding partial widths are very roughly comparable to that for three body final states mediated by one virtual squark at tree level.
