Lightest Visible-Sector Supersymmetric Particle is Likely to be Unstable.

We argue, based on typical properties of known solutions of string or M theory, that the lightest supersymmetric particle of the visible sector is likely to be unstable. In other words, dark matter is probably not a particle with standard model quantum numbers, such as a weakly interacting massive particle. The argument is simple and based on the typical occurrence of (a) hidden sectors, (b) interactions between the standard model (visible) sector and these hidden sectors, and (c) the lack of an argument against massive neutral hidden sector particles being lighter than the lightest visible supersymmetric particle.

M theory solution to the hierarchy problem.

An old idea for explaining the hierarchy is strong gauge dynamics. We show that such dynamics also stabilizes the moduli in M theory compactifications on manifolds of G2 holonomy without fluxes. This gives stable vacua with softly broken supersymmetry, grand unification, and a distinctive spectrum of TeV and sub-TeV sparticle masses.