Detecting dark matter fibers

Astrophysicists say they have discovered a strand of dark matter networks, believed to play a role in connecting galaxies and helping the universe to imagine.

>>>Astronomy with new areas: Dark matter

Scientists have long known that the universe, in addition to tangible matter, is also filled with invisible forms of matter. Accordingly, there is a mysterious form called dark matter that is thought to be spider silk to weave the universe. Dark matter, identified in the 1930s, cannot be detected directly because it does not seem to emit or absorb light.

However, astronomers know its existence based on the gravitational influences that affect light and tangible material around. And because of the amount of dark matter that is five times more common than matter, its gravitational force creates a profound and profound effect on the shape of the universe.'Dark matter actually regulates the structure of the universe' , said Joerg research leader Dietrich of the Munich Observatory University (Germany), "The galactic clusters and the associated strands almost all From dark matter, ordinary matter follows only the distribution of dark matter. '

Images of two clusters of galaxies Abell 222 and Abell 223 are linked by dark matter fibers

Experts easily track the light being bent by dense dark matter knots filling galaxy clusters. However, thin, sparse fibers that serve to connect galaxy clusters are harder to identify, as mentioned above it is less absorbing or reflecting light. Previous studies have claimed to have found dark matter fibers, but were later discovered to be counterfeit or inadequate, until now. Thanks to luck, Dietrich's team found a thousand-year goal of having one: two clusters of galaxies in a very close position, creating rare opportunities for experts searching for traces of dark matter fibers. link them. The pair of galaxies is named Abell 222 and Abell 223 , about 2.7 billion light-years from Earth.

Using data collected from the telescope of Subaru on Mount Mauna Kea in Hawaii and the XMM-Newton space glass, the team examined 40,341 galaxies to find traces of twisted and distorted conditions. Thanks to the computer model, experts assert that there must be a dark matter present, with an impressive length still thought. From the angle of observing the flat sky, dark matter fibers seem to be short and thick, lasting about 3 million light-years. But in fact, it's long and thin, with a length of 58 million light years to measure. The light that reached the earth was bent by all the dark matter distributed along the dark matter strands, according to speculation by experts in Nature.

'I have to say that the evidence is convincing , ' The Los Angeles Times quoted Manoj Kaplinghat, a theoretical astrophysicist at the University of California in Irvine. This expert confirmed that this is also the first discovery about the existence of dark matter fibers.