Study discusses distant galaxies and true nature of dark matter
Trieste [Italy], February 14 : There is a vast spherical region made up of dark matter particles, at the centre of spiral galaxies. This region has two defining characteristics: a density that is constantly out to a certain radius that amazingly expands over time, while the density decreases. A recent study explored this in detail.
The study has been published in the prestigious 'Astronomy and Astrophysics' journal. It studied a large number of distant galaxies, some seven billion light-years away.
The study, conducted by Gauri Sharma and Paolo Salucci from SISSA, together with Glen Van de Ven from the University of Vienna, took a new look at one of the greatest mysteries of modern physics. According to the authors, this new research represented a step forward in our understanding of dark matter, the elusive element in our universe which has been theorized based on its demonstrable effects on heavenly bodies, but which is yet to be directly proven. This is despite any number of targeted astrophysical observations and experiments set up for the purpose in dedicated underground laboratories.
Dark matter makes up approximately 84 per cent of the mass in the cosmos. "Its dominant presence throughout the galaxies arises from the fact that the stars and hydrogen gas are moving as if governed by an invisible element" explained Gauri Sharma. Up until now, attempts to study it have focused on galaxies near to our own: "In this study, however," she explained, "for the first time, we were seeking to observe and determine the distribution of the mass of spiral galaxies with the same morphology of those nearby, but much further away and therefore earlier by some seven billion years. The idea was essentially that, these progenitors of spiral galaxies like our own could offer fundamental clues into the nature of the particle at the heart of the mystery of dark matter."
Paolo Salucci added, "By studying the movement of stars in approximately 300 distant galaxies, we discovered that these objects also had a halo of dark matter, and that, by starting out from the centre of a galaxy, this halo effectively has a region in which its density is constant". This trait had already been observed in studies examining nearby galaxies, some of which were also the work of SISSA.
( Details and picture courtesy ANI, the content is auto-generated from feed.)
Join our official telegram channel for free latest updates and follow us on Google News here.
