For more than a century, one of the universe’s most mysterious components, dark matter, has baffled scientists due to its enigmatic nature.
Finally, after a hundred-year search, researchers may have finally discovered the existence of dark matter, the elusive substance that makes up 27 percent of the cosmic world.
According to findings published in the Jour book Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics On November 25, a team led by Tomonori Totani of the University of Tokyo achieved this virtually impossible breakthrough for the very first time.
Using gamma-ray data from NASA’s Fermi Space Telescope, researchers have finally detected the signs of colliding dark matter particles.
“This could be a crucial breakthrough in unraveling the nature of dark matter,” says Professor Tomonori Totani.
According to the astrophysicist, these gamma rays coming from the center of the Milky Way contain evidence of the substance.
According to observations, the spatial distribution and energy from our Milky Way are equivalent to theoretical model calculations for dark matter particles.
“The gamma ray component closely matches the shape expected of the dark matter halo,” Totani said.
First described in the 1930s by Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky, when he observed the higher rotation speed of distant galaxies than their mass allowed, leading to the idea of dark matter.
Because dark matter is intangible in nature, it neither emits nor absorbs light. It is also known for exerting an invisible gravitational force on the surrounding galaxies.
“If this is true, as far as I know, this would be the first time humanity has ‘seen’ dark matter,” Totani added.
