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An abundance of gamma rays originating from a newly found dwarf galaxy named Reticulum 2, could give specialists better insight into dark matter. The cosmic system is situated at about 98,000 light years from our planet.
For those who still don’t know it, dark matter is a very mysterious matter that actually occupies most of the Universe. The presence of hypothetical particles known as WIMPS, or Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, is a main hypothesis on what makes up the dark matter. The hypothesis depicts how, when these particles run into each other, a sort of mutual destruction occurs. This interaction prompts the arrival of high-energy gamma beams and is subsequently a potential flag hinting the area where dark matter may be prowling.
Then again, loads of cosmic items give off gamma rays including pulsars and wormholes and dividing these sources from gamma beams that may have been delivered from dark matter is a challenging errand. In an attempt reduce disarray and confine undesirable background noise, analysts have detected dwarf systems as potential areas in which to look for dark matter.
These dwarf cosmic systems seem perfect as they are viewed as calm galaxies that have no known astrophysical gamma-ray sources. They are additionally believed to contain a lot of dark matter, as studies have demonstrated that their individual stars’ movements can’t be completely explained thanks to the gravity of their noticeable matter alone. Since dark matter does not assimilate, reflect or discharge light, it is via its gravitational impact on detectable matter that scientists deduce its presence.
Researchers have been searching for gamma rays from dark matter destruction in dwarf systems for various years now, yet without much achievement. Locating the gamma beams from Reticulum 2 by the group of physicists at Carnegie Mellon, Brown and Cambridge colleges, proposes this situation may now be changing.
Alex Geringer–Sameth, a postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University and the lead expert behind the observations noted:
“Something in the direction of this dwarf galaxy is emitting gamma rays. There’s no conventional reason this galaxy should be giving off gamma rays, so it’s potentially a signal for dark matter.”
Geringer–Sameth and his team keen on emphasizing that while these outcomes are extremely energizing, further perceptions are in order, to preclude other concealed sources that may be discharging the gamma rays instead.
Throughout the last several years, the analysts have been developing an investigation procedure that hunts down feeble flags in the gamma ray data that could be caused by dark matter anihilation. With the finding of Reticulum 2, Geringer-Sameth started paying attention to it. He took a gander at all of the gamma rays originating from the direction of the dwarf and also gamma beams originating from neighboring areas of the sky to come up with a background level.
Image Source: New Scientist
