Darkish matter, which makes up about 85 per cent of the universe’s complete mass, has baffled scientists for years as a result of it doesn’t emit or take in gentle. Nonetheless, nearly a century after the idea was proposed, a brand new research claims it could have discovered proof of darkish matter’s existence.
For a very long time, scientists assumed that there have to be a considerable amount of matter exerting an enormous gravitational power. And whereas we nonetheless can’t see it with our eyes or present devices, a group of physicists has demonstrated a brand new method that may lastly decode the thriller.
Based on Prof Tomonori Totani, an astrophysicist on the College of Tokyo, gamma rays originating from the centre of the Milky Manner probably bear a darkish matter signature. “This could possibly be a vital breakthrough in unravelling the character of darkish matter,” he mentioned.
To seek for darkish matter alerts, Totani says the group used information from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Area Telescope, which may establish photons throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. When analysing the information, he mentioned the sample of gamma rays matched the form of the darkish matter halo surrounding the guts of our galaxy.
Whereas darkish matter doesn’t produce gentle, if darkish matter particles “annihilate” when colliding with each other — just like matter and antimatter — they might theoretically produce totally different particles, together with gamma-ray photons.
“If that is appropriate, to the extent of my information, it will mark the primary time humanity has ‘seen’ darkish matter. And it seems that darkish matter is a brand new particle not included within the present Commonplace Mannequin of particle physics. This signifies a serious improvement in astronomy and physics.”
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If Totani has certainly detected darkish matter, it could possibly be manufactured from particles no less than 500 occasions extra huge than protons. Nonetheless, his outcomes should nonetheless be verified by unbiased evaluation earlier than something may be confirmed.
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