Astronomers discover new link between darkmatter and clumpiness of the universe
A map of galaxies in the local universe as seen by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey which the researchers used to test the axion theory. Each dot is the position of a galaxy and the Earth sits in the middle of the map. Credit: Sloan Digital Sky Survey, researchers at the University of Toronto reveal a theoretical breakthrough that may explain both the nature of invisible dark matter and the large-scale structure of the universe known as the cosmic web.
"At the same time, our results suggest an explanation for why the universe is less clumpy than we thought, an observation that has become increasingly clear over the last decade or so, and currently leaves our theory of the universe uncertain." A leading theory proposes that dark matter is made of axions, described in quantum mechanics as"fuzzy" due to their wave-like behavior. Unlike discrete point-like particles, axions can have wavelengths larger than entire galaxies. This fuzziness influences the formation and distribution of dark matter, potentially explaining why the universe is less clumpy than predicted in a universe without axions.
For the study, the research team—led by Rogers and including members of associate professor Renée Hložek's research group at the Dunlap Institute, as well as from the University of Pennsylvania, Institute for Advanced Study, Columbia University and King's College London—analyzed observations of relic light from the Big Bang, known as the Cosmic Microwave Background , obtained from the Planck 2018, Atacama Cosmology Telescope and South Pole Telescope surveys.
The researchers then conducted computer simulations to predict the appearance of relic light and the distribution of galaxies in a universe with long dark matter waves. These calculations aligned with CMB data from the Big Bang and galaxy clustering data, supporting the notion that fuzzy axions could account for the clumpiness problem.
In shaping the universe, gravity builds a vast cobweb-like structure of filaments tying galaxies and clusters of galaxies together along invisible bridges hundreds of millions of light-years long. This is known as the cosmic web. Credit: Volker Springel et al.
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