Gravitational Waves Could Unlock the Secrets of Dark Matter 🌌

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10 Aug 2023

183

Dark matter is one of the most elusive and intriguing phenomena in the universe. It is invisible, yet it makes up about 85% of all the matter in existence. It is everywhere, yet we have no idea what it is made of. It shapes the structure and evolution of galaxies, yet it barely interacts with ordinary matter. How can we learn more about this mysterious substance?

A new study from a UCL-led international team of cosmologists suggests that we may find some clues by observing gravitational waves from merging black holes. Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space and time that are produced by violent events such as collisions of black holes or neutron stars. They were first predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, but only directly detected in 2015 by the LIGO-Virgo collaboration.

The study, presented at the 2023 National Astronomy Meeting in Cardiff and now published in the journal Physical Review D, used computer simulations to study the production of gravitational wave signals in simulated universes with different kinds of dark matter. Their findings show that counting the number of black-hole merging events detected by the next generation of observatories could tell us whether or not dark matter interacts with other particles and therefore help pin down what it is made of.

How does dark matter affect black hole mergers? 🔭

The researchers considered two scenarios for dark matter: one where it is made of particles that can collide with other particles such as atoms or neutrinos, and one where it is made of particles that pass straight through them unaffected. They then simulated how these two types of dark matter would affect the formation and evolution of galaxies and their central black holes.

They found that in models where dark matter does collide with other particles, the dark matter structure becomes dispersed, resulting in fewer galaxies being formed. This also means that there are fewer black holes available to merge with each other and produce gravitational waves. On the other hand, in models where dark matter does not collide with other particles, the dark matter structure remains clumpy, resulting in more galaxies and more black hole mergers.

The difference between these two scenarios is significant enough to be detected by future gravitational wave experiments, such as LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna), a space-based observatory that is expected to launch in 2034. LISA will be able to detect gravitational waves from merging black holes with masses ranging from thousands to millions of times that of the sun, which are too low-frequency to be detected by current ground-based detectors such as LIGO or Virgo.

By comparing the number and properties of black hole mergers observed by LISA with the predictions from different dark matter models, the researchers hope to narrow down the possible candidates for dark matter and shed some light on its nature.

Why is this important for cosmology? 🌠

Dark matter is one of the key ingredients of our current understanding of cosmology, the science of the origin and evolution of the universe. It plays a crucial role in explaining how galaxies form and cluster together, how they rotate and move, and how they bend light from distant sources. However, despite its importance, we still know very little about its fundamental properties, such as its mass, its interactions, and its distribution.

By using gravitational waves as a new tool to probe dark matter, we may be able to gain some new insights into this mysterious component of our cosmos. This could help us test and refine our current theories of cosmology, as well as open up new possibilities for exploring the physics beyond the standard model.

Dr Alex Jenkins (UCL Physics & Astronomy), one of the lead authors of the study, said: “Gravitational waves are a powerful new tool for observing the distant Universe. The next generation of observatories will detect hundreds of thousands of black-hole mergers every year, giving us unprecedented insights into the structure and evolution of the cosmos.”

Co-author Dr Sownak Bose of Durham University said: “Dark matter remains one of the enduring mysteries in our understanding of the Universe. We hope that our methods will help stimulate new ideas for using gravitational wave data to explore the large-scale structure of the Universe, and shine a new light on the mysterious nature of dark matter.”

What do you think about this exciting discovery? Do you have any questions or comments about gravitational waves or dark matter? Let us know in the comments section below! 😊

References

Gravitational waves may reveal nature of dark matter | UCL
Whispers from the dark side: What can gravitational waves reveal about ... | phys.org
Using gravitational waves to hunt for dark matter | Phys.org
Probing the Nature of Dark Matter Using Gravitational Waves | SciTechDaily
Gravitational waves can reveal the nature of dark matter | Mesonstars
After 15 years, pulsar timing yields evidence of cosmic background gravitational waves | phys.org
Evidence That Earth Is Enveloped in Slow-Rolling Sea of Gravitational Waves | SciTechDaily
Gravitational waves may reveal nature of dark matter | phys.org

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