COULD DARK MATTER HAVE EXISTED BEFORE THE BIG BANG?

Most theories explaining dark matter hypothesise the creation of particles after the Big Bang. However, the Big Bang did not mark the beginning of space and time. One theory, mostly confirmed by observation, suggests that before the Big Bang,

during a phase of ‘cosmic inflation’, there was nothing in the Universe except an energy field. It is possible that dark matter originates during this period of inflation. If so, its signature should be imprinted on the distribution of matter in the Universe.