Dark Matter

Undergraduate students at the University of Hamburg have constructed a simple cavity detector to search for axions, hypothetical particles that may constitute dark matter. Despite limited resources, their experiment set new limits on axion properties, as detailed in a recent study. The project demonstrates that small-scale efforts can contribute to major physics challenges.

25. april 2026 Rapportert av AI

Researchers propose that ancient gravitational waves in the early universe produced particles that became dark matter. The study by scientists from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Swansea University suggests a new mechanism involving stochastic gravitational waves converting into fermions. Published in Physical Review Letters, the work addresses a key mystery in cosmology.

Astronomers suggest that the Milky Way's core might host a dense clump of fermionic dark matter rather than a supermassive black hole. This structure could explain the rapid orbits of nearby stars and the smoother rotation of distant material. The findings, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, challenge long-held views of Sagittarius A*.

4. februar 2026 Rapportert av AI

Astronomers have produced the most detailed map of dark matter to date using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, revealing how this invisible substance shaped the formation of galaxies and planets. The research, involving teams from Durham University, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne, was published in Nature Astronomy. The map highlights dark matter's gravitational role in pulling ordinary matter together since the universe's early days.