FollowOn Monday April 13, for the first time in the history of science, researchers announced they managed to map of the Universe’s dark matter. The maps were released at the American Physical Society in Baltimore, Maryland.
These new maps can help shed some light on some of the many secrets the universe holds. These maps are a part of the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and are considered the most detailed pieces of information to date. Scientists hope these maps will help them understand the role of dark matter in the birth of galaxies.
Also, this gives scientists the opportunity of analyzing dark matter density which may contribute to understanding the nature of this cosmic element that many believe to be a factor that’s speeding up the Universe’s expansion process.
Dark matter cannot be seen. Not even the most sensitive astronomical equipment can detect this element as it doesn’t interact with light. So it doesn’t emit light it nor does it block it. The only way of studying dark matter is through gravitational lensing. This process can be described through the deformation that occurs when “the gravitational pull of dark matter bends light around distant galaxies”. Researchers hope to better understand dark energy and dark matter as it could help them solve some of the Universe’s mysteries.
The maps were created by a team of scientists led by Vinu Vikram from the Argonne National Laboratory. In order to create such a detailed representation, they used the Dark Energy Camera, one of the world’s most powerful digital cameras. This 570-megapixel imaging device was the main instrument used for the DES.
Vikram explained that the study consisted of measuring the “barely perceptible distortions in the shapes of about 2 million galaxies”. He continued by saying that these maps demonstrate the accuracy of the Dark Energy Camera.
The team mentioned that what they released on Monday is just 3 % of the total area they plan on documenting in the next 5 years. The DES has begun two years ago.
The team hopes that with time, the acquired data will help them test a few cosmological theories by comparing the amounts of dark and visible matter. One hypothesis they wish to test states that areas with high concentrations of dark matter is where galaxies have the highest probability of forming.
Image Source: WKNO 91.1
Related Articles
