Scientists Hoping To Find Self-Destructing Dark Matter Using Gamma Rays

A team of scientists has conceptualized a method that can possibly help them detect dark matter in space. According to their study, this method involves tracking gamma rays emanating from regions believed to be filled with dark matter.

Dark matter is an invisible substance that is thought to account for about 85 percent of the universe’s entire mass. Gamma rays, on the other hand, are bursts of high-energy light produced by powerful cosmic events such as a supernova, a collision between neutron stars or the feeding process of black holes.

Gamma rays are technically invisible to the human eye. But, through special telescopes, astronomers are able to spot them and trace them back to their point of origin. Although most gamma rays originate from known cosmic events, astronomers have come across faint emissions from unidentified sources.

In a new study submitted for publication to the Physical Review Letters, a group of scientists investigated the unknown origins of these faint gamma rays. After comparing them with maps of gamma rays with known origins, or those that come from supernova and stellar collision events, the scientists discovered that the anomalous gamma rays came from parts of the universe that are known to be rich in dark matter.

As explained by the scientists, dark matter is known to self-destruct. This can either happen by natural decaying or by colliding with other dark matter particles. In these scenarios, the destruction of dark matter can produce gamma rays.

“Dark matter could decay like a radioactive nucleus, producing gamma rays as it does,” astrophysicist Daniel Gruen, the co-author of the study, told Live Science. “Or perhaps multiple dark matter particles are colliding, producing gamma-rays as they interact.”

By tracking the origins of the unknown and faint gamma rays, the scientists are hoping to discover dark matter or at least traces of it. If all goes well for the team, the scientists will be able to provide an effective method for tracking dark matter. The results of their study will also allow other scientists learn more about the properties of dark matter particles and how they interact with their surroundings.