Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (IPMU)
University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study | 2015 July 22
A new theory says dark matter acts remarkably similar to subatomic particles known to science since the 1930s.
[img3="Structure of a pion (left) and a SIMP (strongly interacting massive particle)We owe a lot to dark matter – it is the thing keeping galaxies, stars, our solar system, and our bodies intact. Yet no one has been able to observe it, and it has often been regarded as a totally new exotic form of matter, such as a particle moving in extra dimensions of space or its quantum version, super-symmetry.
proposed by Hochberg et al. (right). (Credit: Kavli IPMU)"]http://web.ipmu.jp/press/20150721-SIMP/ ... rym-06.jpg[/img3][hr][/hr]
Now an international group of researchers has proposed a theory that dark matter is very similar to pions, which are responsible for binding atomic nuclei together. Their findings appear in the latest Physical Review Letters, published on July 10.
“We have seen this kind of particle before. It has the same properties – same type of mass, the same type of interactions, in the same type of theory of strong interactions that gave forth the ordinary pions. It is incredibly exciting that we may finally understand why we came to exist,” says Hitoshi Murayama ...
The new theory predicts dark matter is likely to interact with itself within galaxies or clusters of galaxies, possibly modifying the predicted mass distributions. “It can resolve outstanding discrepancies between data and computer simulations,” says Eric Kuflik ... Yonit Hochberg adds, “The key differences in these properties between this new class of dark matter theories and previous ideas have profound implications on how dark matter can be discovered in upcoming experimental searches.” ...
Model for Thermal Relic Dark Matter of Strongly Interacting Massive Particles - Yonit Hochberg et al
- Physical Review Letters 115 021301 (10 July 2015) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.021301
arXiv.org > hep-ph > arXiv:1411.3727 > 13 Nov 2014