MNRAS: Space Colliders Will Reveal the Nature of Dark Matter
Astrophysicists at Northeastern University in the US have proposed a potential new way to uncover the nature of dark matter. The results of the study published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS).
The method proposed by the scientists involves observing the mergers of galaxy clusters that serve as cosmic colliders of dark matter. This overcomes the problem of the impossibility of manipulating dark matter on Earth using conventional particle accelerators.
If galaxy clusters and their dark matter collide with enough force, dark matter could be observed interacting with itself. The researchers modeled these interactions using hydrodynamic simulations, large-scale computer programs that can model the physical interactions between particles.
The data obtained could rule out or confirm various models of dark matter particles. According to the authors, if a set of 100 merging galaxy clusters is studied, there is a chance to measure the self-interaction of dark matter to a certain threshold value and constrain the possible properties of the particles.
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