📡 These pulsars have “illuminated” dark matter

2024-08-11 04:00:12

Pulsars, or neutron stars, could help us unlock the secret of dark matter. A recent study reveals clues to the presence of this elusive substance, thanks to the careful observation of these stars emitting beams of radiation.

Artist’s impression of a neutron star surrounded by a magnetic field strong (blue) and emitting a narrow beam of radio waves (magenta). These beams, swept by the rotation of the star, make it possible to detect the pulsar.
Credit: NASA Goddard/Walt Feimer

Pulsars, the “lighthouses” of the Universe, emit regular electromagnetic beams, serving as precise beacons in space. Professor John LoSecco of the University of Notre Dame has studied the variations in these signals, revealing clues to invisible masses, probably the dark matter. Using data from the PPTA2 project, LoSecco analyzed the delays in the arrival of the pulsations. These data come from seven radio telescopes and allow pulsars to be timed with nanosecond precision. The results show deviations suggesting the presence of non-visible masses in the path of the signals.

The observed delays, caused by the gravitation of these invisible masses, have specific shapes and sizes related to their mass. By studying about sixty millisecond pulsars, a dozen events indicate a probable interaction with matter noire.

The constant motion of the Earth, the Sun, pulsars, and dark matter causes variations in the arrival times of pulsations. It is this dynamic that LoSecco exploited to detect hidden masses. A solar mass, for example, can cause a delay of about 10 microseconds.

One of LoSecco’s discoveries reveals an object that could be 20 percent the mass of the Sun, potentially a candidate for dark matter. The research also improves pulsar timing data, which is crucial for other astronomical studies.

Ultimately, this advance not only sheds light on the nature and distribution of dark matter in the Milky Way, but also helps refine the precision of pulsar data for future research into gravitational radiation.

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