Atypical Signal from Space could be from Dark Matter

Astronomy
dark_matter_signal

Did scientists finally prove that there is Dark Matter in the Universe?

The researchers involved in a project in which the main focus was on X-ray data gathered from Universe believe, that they did prove the existence of the Dark Matter. Up till now, the substance has been purely hypothetical, does not fit in the standard models of physics. The only common thing that it has got is gravitational force.

When the scientists from the EPFL’s Laboratory of Particle Physics and Cosmology (LPPC) and Leiden University in Netherlands study the dynamics of galaxies and the movement of the starts, there is always one mystery that could not be explained. If they take into consideration only matter, that is visible, their equations simply don’t add up. This means, that the elements, that are visible and can be observed are not enough to explain the rotation of the objects and the existing gravitational forces. There is always something missing.

dark_matter_signal_filaments

Composite astrograph of the Abell 222 and 223 galaxy clusters as seen in visible light and by x-rays – the filament of dark matter between the two is suggested by the hot x-ray emitting gas (shown in dark red) gathered along the filament (Image: ESA/ XMM-Newton/ EPIC/ ESO (J. Dietrich)/ SRON (N. Werner)/ MPE (A. Finoguenov)

They think that there is an invisible kind of matter that does not interact with light but does interact with gravitational force. This is, as we call it, the dark matter. It looks like that the dark matter is present in at least 80 percent of the Universe.

The two groups announced that they have found the desired signal. One of the groups was led by EPFL scientists Oleg Ruchayski, Alexey Boyarsky found it by analyzing X-rays emitted by two objects – Perseus galaxy cluster and the Andromeda galaxy. They collected thousands of signals from the ESA’s XMM-Newton telescope, both known and unknown. They eliminated the signals from known atoms and particles and detected an anomaly. This anomaly was still there even after they considered the possibility of measurement error.

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These signals, on the X-ray spectrum, appear as weak, atypical photon emission that could not be assigned to any form of matter that we know. Moreover, this behavior is exactly what we are expecting from the dark matter; concentrated in the middle of the objects and weaker on the edges.

If this discovery is confirmed, the scientists will be able to open a new era in astronomy. It may lead to constructing new telescopes, which would be designed for studying the signals coming from the dark matter. If we know where to look to track this signals in space, we will be able to reconstruct how the Universe was formed.

Researchers detected possible signals from the Dark Matter (video)

source: eurekalert.org

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Michaela Miklusak

Michaela Miklusak is deputy editor of TechandFacts.com and big technology enthusiast. Michaela now lives in Singapore, where she studies System Engineering and Informatics. michaelam@techandfacts.com

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