NASA | MSFC | SAO | Chandra X-ray Observatory | 2017 Apr 28
Astronomers have used data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to study the properties of dark matter, the mysterious, invisible substance that makes up a majority of matter in the universe. The study, which involves 13 galaxy clusters, explores the possibility that dark matter may be more "fuzzy" than "cold," perhaps even adding to the complexity surrounding this cosmic conundrum.
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Cinestav/T.Bernal et al.;
Optical: Adam Block/Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter/U. Arizona
For several decades, astronomers have known about dark matter. Although it cannot be observed directly, dark matter does interact via gravity with normal, radiating matter (that is, anything made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons bundled into atoms). Capitalizing on this interaction, astronomers have studied the effects of dark matter using a variety of techniques, including observations of the motion of stars in galaxies, the motion of galaxies in galaxy clusters, and the distribution of X-ray emitting hot gas in galaxy clusters. Dark matter has also left an imprint on the radiation left over from the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago.
However, astronomers have been struggling for decades to understand the detailed properties of dark matter. In other words, they would like to know how dark matter behaves in all environments, and, ultimately, what it is made of. ...
Scalar Field Dark Matter in Clusters of Galaxies - Tula Bernal, Victor H. Robles, Tonatiuh Matos
- Monthly Notices of the RAS 468(3):3135 (July 2017) DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stx651
arXiv.org > astro-ph > arXiv:1609.08644 > 27 Sep 2016 (v1), 26 Oct 2016 (v2)