Scientists May Have Finally Seen Dark Matter After 100-Year Search
Analysis of 15 years of Fermi data shows gamma rays matching weakly interacting massive particles annihilation, potentially marking the first direct evidence of dark matter, researchers say.
- On November 26, Tomonori Totani of the University of Tokyo published a paper in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics claiming a halo-like gamma-ray excess from 15 years of Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope data.
- Dark matter makes up about 27% of the universe, while ordinary matter is about 5%, and one leading candidate, weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs, are predicted to produce gamma rays when they annihilate.
- After modeling known sources, the residual gamma-ray map shows a faint, spherical halo-like emission peaking at 20 gigaelectronvolts across approximately 100 degrees, matching WIMPs annihilation predictions for masses about 500 times a proton.
- Totani claimed, 'This may be achieved once more data is accumulated, and if so, it would provide even stronger evidence that the gamma rays originate from dark matter.'
- Skeptics pointed out that some experts found no excess in Fermi data and urged searches with the Cherenkov Telescope Array and dwarf galaxies to confirm or refute the claim.
52 Articles
52 Articles
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