August 26, 2022

Fatima V. de Castro
2022-102103
Reflection Paper No. 1

Scientists mapped Dark Matter around galaxies in the early universe

Emily Conover

What exactly is dark matter? The interaction of most ordinary matter with
electromagnetic radiation or light is one of its characteristics. This implies that light is
typically absorbed or reflected when it encounters an object. We can identify this issue
because to this interaction. On the other hand, light is completely undetectable in dark
matter since it never interacts with it. So why do scientists think dark matter exists if we
can't see it? The impact that matter has on other matter in the cosmos is related to
another feature of matter. We refer to this phenomenon as gravity, and we feel it as a
pull that the sun's mass exerts on the planets in its orbit, maintaining the earth's orbit.
This gravitational attraction is what prevents any two orbiting objects from breaking
apart. We anticipate that two objects will have more mass the quicker they are orbiting
one another. Fritz Zwicky, an astronomer, made an astounding discovery in 1933 while
examining a group of galaxies. Using measurements of the galaxies' motions around one
another, he calculated their mass. He discovered that his estimate was 400 times larger
when he compared it to the observed mass of the galaxies. In order for them to orbit so
quickly without breaking apart, Zwicky claimed that there must be some missing or
unseen substance, which he named dark matter. Since then, other scientists have seen
and validated this behavior in a variety of galaxies, including our own. But scientists
also think that dark matter exists for other reasons besides its fast orbiting. The fact that
mass has an impact on how light travels across the universe is another phenomenon
connected to mass. Light bends around massive objects as it passes by them in space, a
phenomenon known as gravitational lensing; the more massive the object, the greater
the bending. Scientists have discovered additional evidence for this missing matter by
measuring stronger than anticipated bending of light from distant stars, which indicates
that galaxies contain more mass than is visible. What is it then? Well, scientists aren't
really sure because we can't see it. However, there are other theories as to what it could
be. According to one idea, Massive Compact Halo Objects, or MACHOs as they are often
known, make dark matter. MACHOs are vast groupings of regular matter that do not
generally interact with light and are not invisible; they can be hundreds of times larger
than the sun. These objects are studied by physicists using other gravitational-related
phenomena. One such object is a black hole, which can only be identified by the way
light and matter gather around it. Unfortunately, dark matter is observed to be
distributed more equally throughout space, but black holes and other MACHOs appear
to exist only in separate pockets throughout the universe. As a result, many physicists
reject the idea. Instead, many physicists believe that undiscovered particles are what
constitutes dark matter. The presence of a strong character of particles known as
WIMPs, or Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, is required by theory in other branches
of physics. However, because we can't see them, we can't be sure that they exist.
Scientists expect them to have specific characteristics, such as mass and the inability to
interact with light, which fit well with the definition of dark matter. Through earthly
experiments and views of the universe, physicists are seeking to find dark matter, but
despite recent scientific advances, we still don't know what it is. One of the most
difficult physics puzzles that hasn't been solved yet is the search for the missing matter.

After so many years, a scientist in Japan made the discovery of dark matter in
August 2022. The article describes how dark matter, the unknown element that controls
the cosmos, has been detected for the first time ever around galaxies that were
approximately 12 billion years old. According to the article's content, the cosmic
microwave background (CMB), a form of fossil radiation left over from the Big Bang that
is distributed throughout the cosmos, is the reason for the discovery of dark matter in
the very early universe.

Figuring out how dark matter has gathered around galaxies over the universe's
history. That might provide researchers more information about the mysterious
substance. The lensing technique will dependable researchers in the future in their
quest to understand how matter in the universe is put together. Researchers at Nagoya
University in Japan claim that it is challenging to identify or map the dark matter that
surrounding distant galaxies. Scientists therefore require a source of light that is farther
than space and functions as a lens. The article claims that scientists typically use more
distant galaxies as the source of the lights they use. When looking far into space, though,
such galaxies are few. The oldest light in the universe, the cosmic microwave
background, was studied by scientists, according to the article. A large number of far-off
galaxies seen in Hawaii with the Subaru Telescope were included in the team's lensing
observations of the cosmic microwave background from the Planck satellite. A scientist
claims that because the gravitational lensing effect is so weak, numerous lens galaxies
are required. The distribution of dark matter surrounding the galaxies, according to the
scientist, was in line with their predictions. It’s amazing because according to the article
the quantity known as sigma 8, which measures how clumpy things are in the cosmos,
was also studied by the researchers. Scientists have discovered hints throughout the
past year that the numerous measurements of sigma 8 do not match with one another.
This suggests that there may be a problem with the scientific theory of the cosmos.
However, based on the facts, they are unsure about its truth. Whether or not that
tension exists today is one of the most interesting topics in cosmology. Two scientists
who weren't involved in the study offered their opinions in the article. Stanford
University's Risa Wechsler is here first. Wechsler claims the this is an excellent
illustration of one method that can be used to clarify that. Hendrik Hildebrandt of
Germany's Ruhr University Bochum comes in second. Hildebrandt suggested that
utilizing sigma 8 measurements with early, far-off galaxies could provide light on the
situation. It might be trying to quantify this sigma 8 from as many perspectives as it can.
If estimates from various periods of the universe disagree, this might aid scientists in
developing a new theory that could more actually explain the cosmos.

In general, in our lesson about matter, matter is everything. Think about all of the
stuff in the universe, from the particles of dust in our floor, to the billions of planets and
galaxies you see in the sky. Everything you could possibly imagine, all the observable
matter in the universe is only 5% of what’s really out there. Everything else is dark.

So, what makes dark matter so important to us? Dark matter played a significant
role in the formation of galaxies. Astronomical surveys are used by scientists to create
maps of the distribution of dark matter in the cosmos based on how the light from
distant galaxies bends as it flows toward us.

What impact does dark matter have on people? The heat from the dark matter
hit would be so intense that it would tunnel through human tissue as a plasma plume,
melting flesh. The majority of physicists looking for dark matter look for particles that
are smaller than atoms. What impacts your body does dark matter? Your cells, organs,
and entire body would stop holding together due to the disappearance of the nuclear
and electromagnetic forces that hold your nuclei and protons together as well as the
electromagnetic forces that keep atoms and molecules together and allow light to
interact with you.

Reference:

Conover, E. (2022, August 8). Scientists mapped dark matter around galaxies in the
early universe. Science News. Retrieved August 24, 2022, from
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dark-matter-map-galaxies-early-universe