Articles tagged with Dark Matter
A new detector built by MIT physicist Jocelyn Monroe and her students will aid in the search for dark matter by distinguishing between ordinary and dark-matter particles. The device's ability to identify ordinary neutrons will increase its sensitivity to dark matter, a key step towards detecting the mysterious particles.
Researchers used a massive computer simulation to 'see' gamma-rays given off by dark matter in the Milky Way galaxy. They predict that these gamma-rays should glow in a characteristic pattern near the Sun, which could help detect invisible clumps of dark matter.
A team of researchers in Canada has made a breakthrough in detecting dark matter by identifying a significant difference between acoustic signals induced by neutrons and alpha particles. This discovery could lead to improved background suppression in dark matter searches using this type of detector.
Researchers analyzed light from small galaxies to determine their masses, finding all dwarf galaxies had the same mass - 10 million times the mass of the sun. This discovery reveals a fundamental property of dark matter, a key component of the universe.
The University of Utah is joining the third Sloan Digital Sky Survey to map distant galaxies, understand galaxy evolution, and discover planets with suitable environments for life. The survey will also help scientists test theories about dark energy and explore the mysteries of the universe.
Researchers used a supercomputer to simulate the halo of dark matter surrounding the Milky Way, finding dense clumps and streams in the inner region. The study may help scientists understand what dark matter is and could detect evidence of its particles through gamma-ray signals.
A computer simulation reveals the formation of the first stars in the universe, showing how dark matter and gas interacted to create these ancient celestial bodies. The study provides insight into the origins of life and planets, highlighting the importance of stellar elements in our bodies.
J. Richard Bond is honored for his theoretical framework to interpret the observed inhomogeneities in the Big Bang's fossil radiation and understand galaxy evolution. His research has helped us transition from a nearly featureless early Universe to the structured world of galaxies, stars, and planets.
The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) will search for answers to long-standing questions about dark matter, black holes, and gamma-ray bursts. With its extraordinary sensitivity and wide field-of-view, GLAST has the potential to detect thousands of hitherto unknown gamma-ray sources.
Astronomers find nine young, compact galaxies with masses of 200 billion times the Sun's, each only 5,000 light-years across. These ultra-dense galaxies formed 11 billion years ago and are thought to be building blocks for today's largest galaxies.
LUX detector, funded by NSF and DOE, searches for WIMPs in 4,800ft underground South Dakota mine, aiming to detect rare dark matter particles, the largest discovery since antimatter in the 1930s.
Researchers detected no WIMPs, but the null result is valuable as it informs future detector designs. The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search will move to a deeper site at Snolab in Canada with larger detectors to increase chances of finding dark matter.
The COUPP experiment has set a new limit on the spin-dependent properties of WIMPs, contradicting previous claims. By using a glass jar filled with CF3I, scientists study statistical variations between bubble photographs to detect dark matter particles.
Galaxies in crowded environments, like superclusters, experience violent lives due to high-speed collisions and stripping away of gas. The Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys mapped dark matter scaffolding, revealing dense clumps that match the location of old galaxies.
The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a double Einstein ring, caused by the bending of light from two distant galaxies behind a massive foreground galaxy. The discovery offers insights into dark matter and the nature of distant galaxies.
For the first time, astronomers have directly visualized the distribution of dark matter in a supercluster, allowing for the detection of irregular clumps and detailed shapes. This breakthrough study, led by UBC researcher Catherine Heymans, uses NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to map the Abell 901/902 supercluster.
A giant cloud of antimatter surrounding the galactic center has been traced back to binary star systems containing black holes or neutron stars. The cloud's imbalance matches the distribution of these binaries, suggesting they are churning out most of the antimatter.
A new study suggests that the universe's first stars were dark, invisible 'dark stars' powered by dark matter. These massive stars could be billions of years old and would generate gamma rays, neutrinos, and antimatter.
Three quarters of the universe is dark energy, a mysterious substance that repels gravity. New space missions and improved observation methods will help uncover its secrets.
Researchers solved a longstanding problem of the Cold Dark Matter cosmology model by exposing a critical relationship between interstellar gas and dark matter in galaxy birth. The study showed that dense gas clouds in galaxies form massive stars, which drive 'sloshing' effects that kick dark matter out of the galaxy's center.
Research suggests that dilaton effects could reduce the abundance of stable dark matter particles like neutralinos by a factor of ten. This finding has implications for supersymmetric searches in colliders and challenges standard cosmology theories.
Astronomers analyze galaxy clusters and discover that dark matter, a mysterious invisible force, has an incredibly long lifetime. The research suggests that axions, a type of particle with extra dimensions, could be the culprit behind this prolonged existence.
The universe's earliest stars, formed in warm dark matter strings, could help clarify whether the universe is made of warm or cold dark matter. These ancient stars would have formed in long filaments and could provide new insights into dark matter's energy and its impact on galaxy formation.
A groundbreaking study reveals that the first stars formed at the start of the Universe depend on dark matter's nature. The research suggests that some of these primordial stars can still be found in the Milky Way galaxy today.
Astronomers found a gigantic hole in the Universe, spanning nearly a billion light-years, empty of stars, galaxies, gas, and dark matter. The void's existence was confirmed by studying data from the NRAO VLA Sky Survey, which revealed a significant drop in galaxy count in a region southwest of Orion.
Researchers employed a new technique to estimate dark matter location and calculate its mass, shedding light on the galactic halo's composition. The method revealed two massive dark objects, one with 7 times the sun's mass, in the Milky Way's outer reaches.
A team of astronomers has discovered a unique structure of dark matter in the galaxy cluster Cl 0024+17, with a ring shape unlike that of galaxies and hot gas. The discovery is among the strongest evidence for dark matter's existence, supporting theoretical models of its behavior under gravity.
A paper by Lawrence Krauss and Robert Scherrer suggests that matter will dominate over radiation in an ever-expanding universe dominated by dark energy. This means that ordinary matter particles, such as protons and neutrons, will remain stable for trillions of years, potentially allowing life to endure forever.
Researchers used COSMOS field data to measure large-scale distribution of matter, revealing concentration of luminous and dark matter. The 3D map provides insight into the formation and evolution of galaxies and may shed light on dark energy.
Researchers propose explanation for formation of dwarf spheroidals, faint galaxies composed almost entirely of dark matter. Simulations suggest environmental effects, including ram pressure and tidal shocking, strip away luminous matter, leaving behind dark-matter shadow.
Astronomers have created the first 3D map of the universe's dark matter distribution, revealing a web-like structure that confirms conventional theories on how galaxies formed. The map was derived from the Cosmic Evolution Survey and offers unprecedented detail on the large-scale filamentary structure of dark matter.
Researchers have found direct proof of dark matter's existence in a study using state-of-the-art telescopes. The team observed two merging galaxy clusters, revealing massive amounts of non-luminous matter that don't interact with normal matter.
Scientists have discovered large, rotating disc galaxies that formed on a rapid time scale, just 3 billion years after the Big Bang. These findings reveal unprecedented details about the anatomy of these distant proto-disc galaxies, including their gas motions and star formation rates.
A team of scientists at the University of Chicago has verified the main features of the cold dark matter model by comparing supercomputer simulations to recent astronomical observations. The simulations accurately reproduced the distribution of galaxies in the early stages of the universe's evolution.
A team of astronomers studied the most massive and hot known fossil group, RX J1416.4+2315, to understand its formation. They found that a high-temperature halo extending over three million light years indicates the cluster's large mass.
A Cornell University study reveals that galaxies in the early universe tend to cluster near large clumps of dark matter. The research uses data from the Spitzer Wide-area InfraRed Extragalactic survey and confirms that ultraluminous infrared galaxies are precursors to galaxy clusters.
Researchers have charted a warp in the Milky Way's hydrogen gas layer, finding it vibrates like a drum due to interaction with dark matter. The Magellanic Clouds' passage through the dark matter halo creates a wake that enhances their gravitational influence on the disk.
Astronomers have created detailed maps of invisible dark matter in two young galaxy clusters, lending credence to the theory that galaxies form at dense regions of cosmic webs. The study used the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys to overcome atmospheric turbulence and measure subtle gravitational lensing effects.
A recent study published in Nature refutes previous claims of missing dark matter in elliptical galaxies, suggesting that massive dark-matter halos are present around these galaxies as well. The research uses simulations of galaxy mergers to explain the observations made by earlier studies.
Researchers used simulations to show that dark matter halos are detectable in disk galaxies, but their absence in elliptical galaxies can be explained by the merger process. The study provides new insights into the formation and evolution of elliptical galaxies.
Researchers have created a method to monitor RNA synthesis and promoter activity in real-time within a single living cell. This breakthrough could help understand the role of RNA molecules in controlling gene expression and may lead to new discoveries in drug development and biology.
Astronomers have detected an invisible galaxy made mostly of dark matter for the first time using radio telescopes. The discovery was made by a British-led team and confirmed with the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico.
Scientists at Ohio State University and colleagues have discovered a sizeable chunk of the universe's missing baryons, estimated to match the amount that went missing 10 billion years ago. The finding suggests dark matter may be responsible for the gas's presence in super-hot rivers surrounding galaxies.
The SDSS team detected ripples in the galaxy distribution made by sound waves, providing evidence that galaxies grew via gravity. The findings support the standard cosmological model and provide insights into dark matter and dark energy's properties.
A Yale astronomer and her colleagues used gravitational lensing techniques to create a spatial map demonstrating the clumped substructure of dark matter inside galaxy clusters. The study found an excellent agreement between observations and theoretical predictions, supporting the concordance model.
Astronomers have detected high-energy gamma rays emanating from the center of the Milky Way galaxy, sparking debate about the nature of these mysterious emissions. The observation suggests a giant supernova explosion as the possible source, which could accelerate cosmic gamma rays to unprecedented energies.
The Quantum Universe report outlines nine fundamental questions in response to research funding agency requests, focusing on particle physics' role in understanding dark matter, dark energy, and more. The report emphasizes new knowledge from particle physics is needed to answer exciting scientific questions of this century.
Theoretical physicist Robert J. Scherrer proposes a model that explains dark matter and dark energy as two sides of the same coin, using an exotic form of energy called scalar fields. This unifying idea avoids previous problems and could potentially explain the mysterious phenomena.
Astrophysicists have found a solution to the long-standing problem of dwarf galaxies in supercomputer simulations, validating the cold dark matter theory. The new simulations suggest that small dwarf galaxies could have been more massive in the past and formed stars before being consumed by larger galaxies.
The CDMS II experiment has narrowed the search for WIMPs, a type of dark matter particle. The results show that the interaction rate of a WIMP with ordinary matter should be less than one interaction every 25 days per kilogram of germanium.
A study suggests that debris from the gobbled-up Sagittarius dwarf galaxy may be 'smoking gun' for detecting dark matter's WIMPs. The combination of WIMPs from the Milky Way and Sagittarius could produce a distinct pattern on the DAMA detector, confirming their existence.
Astronomers have found evidence of rapid galaxy formation in the early universe, including ultra-massive black holes and mature galaxies that formed at an unprecedented rate. This discovery poses a significant challenge to the cold dark matter theory, which predicts galaxies formed through a bottom-up process.
Astronomers have detected a lensed quasar more than twice as wide as any previously reported, offering insights into dark matter and its distribution. The discovery provides evidence for the presence of massive galaxy clusters, which can be used to study dark matter.
Dark matter forms smaller clumps that resemble galaxies and globular clusters in our luminous universe. Computer simulations show these clumps have intricate substructures and dynamic lives independent of visible matter, leading to a template for the visible universe.
Researchers at UCLA created a 30-cm diameter plasma laser by applying a nonuniform magnetic field. Meanwhile, scientists have made rapid advances in detecting dark matter using weak gravitational lensing experiments. A paper also examines the emerging behavior of complex systems in electronic bidding on online auction sites like eBay.
The study provides strong support for the popular cold dark matter model of the universe, suggesting that galaxies are surrounded by massive, three-dimensional halos. The team measured the shapes of over 1.5 million distant galaxies using weak gravitational lensing, revealing that dark matter halos extend far beyond visible stars.
The team reconstructed a mass map of the galaxy cluster using NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope data, tracing dark matter's distribution with respect to galaxies. The study reveals that dark matter clumps together in certain regions, supporting the idea that clusters assemble through the merger of smaller groups.
Physicists at the University of California, Irvine have discovered superweakly interacting massive particles (superWIMPs) that may constitute up to one-quarter of the universe's mass. These new particles are predicted to be stable and could provide an alternative explanation for dark matter.
Scientists using Whipple Observatory gamma-ray telescope discover energetic gamma-ray flares from active galaxies, revealing relativistic jets and compact emission regions. The study also holds promise to reveal nature of 'dark matter' and 'dark energy', which dominate universe's mass budget.
Astronomers have found evidence for dark dwarf galaxies that support the theory of cold dark matter. The study analyzed gravitational lensing effects on distant galaxies, revealing the presence of hundreds of invisible dwarf galaxies surrounding large galaxies.