This new method will allow us to measure the mass of dark matter and confirm the accuracy of other methods for detecting this invisible matter, according to a research paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
“The problem of determining the exact mass of galaxy clusters is one of the most pressing and oldest problems in astronomy,” the researchers said. “The approach we have developed is generally not inferior in precision to existing methods for determining the mass of galaxy clusters. This will allow us to use it to independently verify current estimates of the amount of dark matter present in different cosmic structures, as well as to test generally accepted theories regarding the structure of the Universe.”
This approach to determining the mass of dark matter in galaxies and galaxy clusters was developed by a team of Spanish astronomers led by Susana Planelles, a researcher at the University of Valencia. Its essence is that the process of galaxy cluster formation leads to the creation of a large number of shock waves whose strength, size and structure depend on the distribution of visible and dark matter within the galaxy cluster.
The emission from these waves was recently detected by the Suzaku and Veritas telescopes, prompting scientists to wonder whether observations of this glow might be used to determine the exact mass of dark matter in large galaxy clusters. The scientists noted that current methods do not always allow reliable estimates of the mass of these clusters, forcing astronomers to look for alternatives to verify these measurement results.
Guided by this idea, the Spanish astronomers created a computer model of a large cluster of galaxies and tracked how the properties and radiation of the shock waves they produce changed as the cluster evolved. The researchers’ calculations showed that the mass of dark matter in such galaxy clusters can be estimated from the emission of shock waves with an accuracy of regarding 30%, even at relatively large distances, equivalent to regarding 9.3 billion light-years.
Such measurements, the scientists’ calculations show, might be made using the European orbital telescope Athena, which is scheduled to be launched into space in 2035, as well as its “successor,” the Cosmic Web Explorer.
The information they have gathered regarding the mass of dark matter in large clusters of galaxies will help for the first time to independently verify generally accepted ideas regarding the structure of the universe and to scrutinize the share of dark matter in the total energy of the universe.
Source: TASS
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2024-07-07 21:05:44
