1114
Astronomers have made a breakthrough in the study of dark matter, finding that its particles may exist 10 to 100 million times longer than the universe itself, which is about 13,8 billion years old. This was made possible by analyzing the light from distant galaxies using one of the Magellan telescopes in Chile.
Dark matter remains one of the greatest mysteries of science, as it makes up 85% of the mass of the universe, but has yet to be directly detected. The theory of its existence is based on observations of the rotation of galaxies, which move faster than is possible with visible matter alone. Scientists assume that this invisible mass interacts with ordinary matter only through gravity.
The study focused on axion-like particles, which models suggest can spontaneously decay, emitting light in the near-infrared range. The scientists developed a new spectrographic method to detect such radiation and applied it to two dwarf galaxies, Leo V and Tucana II.
Although the researchers were unable to directly observe the decay of the particles, the data provided the tightest limits yet on the lifetime of dark matter. This discovery opens up new avenues for further research and may help to find a way to confirm its existence in the future.
Astronomers have made a breakthrough in the study of dark matter, finding that its particles may exist 10 to 100 million times longer than the universe itself, which is about 13,8 billion years old. This was made possible by analyzing the light from distant galaxies using one of the Magellan telescopes in Chile.
Dark matter remains one of the greatest mysteries of science, as it makes up 85% of the mass of the universe, but has yet to be directly detected. The theory of its existence is based on observations of the rotation of galaxies, which move faster than is possible with visible matter alone. Scientists assume that this invisible mass interacts with ordinary matter only through gravity.
The study focused on axion-like particles, which models suggest can spontaneously decay, emitting light in the near-infrared range. The scientists developed a new spectrographic method to detect such radiation and applied it to two dwarf galaxies, Leo V and Tucana II.
Although the researchers were unable to directly observe the decay of the particles, the data provided the tightest limits yet on the lifetime of dark matter. This discovery opens up new avenues for further research and may help to find a way to confirm its existence in the future.
