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Astronomers have discovered potential dark matter objects in space using pulsars

Artist rendering of a pulsar. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Artist rendering of a pulsar. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Exciting proof of the existence of potential dark matter objects has been discovered through the "clocks" of the universe

These pulsars—neutron stars that rotate and emit beacon-like beams of radio waves that scan space—have been used to detect mysterious hidden masses.

The pulsars earned their nickname because they send out AM radiation at regular time intervals, ranging from milliseconds to seconds, making them very accurate clocks.

"Science has developed very precise methods for measuring time," said the astronomer behind the study, Professor John Losko of the University of Nuter Blood. "On Earth we have atomic clocks and in space we have pulsars. It has been known for more than a hundred years that gravity slows down light, but until now there have been very few applications."

An artist's impression of a neutron star, surrounded by its strong magnetic field (blue). It emits a narrow beam of radio waves (magenta) above its magnetic poles. Credit: NASA Goddard/Walt Feimer
An artist's impression of a neutron star, surrounded by its strong magnetic field (blue). It emits a narrow beam of radio waves (magenta) above its magnetic poles. Credit: NASA Goddard/Walt Feimer

Professor Lesuko observed changes and delays in the timing of pulsars, an indication that the radio beams are moving around an invisible concentration of mass somewhere between the pulsar and the telescope.

He believes these invisible masses are potential dark matter objects.

Professor Lesuko studied delays in the arrival times of radio pulses, which are usually nanoseconds in accuracy. He searched along the track for radio pulses from the PPTA2 survey data published by the Perks Pulsar Timing Array.

This ongoing project produces precise measurements of pulse arrival times using data from seven radio telescopes. The pulses have a rhythm of about three weeks in three frequency ranges.

A graph showing the time-dependent geometry of a pulsar. Cosine of dark matter as seen by the observer. The direction of the Z axis is from the observer to the pulsar (the point on the left). The point of maximum approach is distance D along the X axis. The Y coordinate is up along the velocity projection of the mass concentration. The displacement along Y is measured as Vt. The mass concentration is in the plane at (D,Vt). Credit: John LoSecco
A graph showing the time-dependent geometry of a pulsar. Cosine of dark matter as seen by the observer. The direction of the Z axis is from the observer to the pulsar (the point on the left). The point of maximum approach is distance D along the X axis. The Y coordinate is up along the velocity projection of the mass concentration. The displacement along Y is measured as Vt. The mass concentration is in the plane at (D,Vt). Credit: John LoSecco

Arrival time deviations due to dark matter have a well-defined shape and magnitude proportional to its mass.

Light passing near regions of dark matter will be slowed by its presence. A search of the exact data from 65 "millisecond pulsars" turned up around a dozen cases that appear to be interacting with dark matter.

Professor Lesuko said: "We take advantage of the fact that the earth moves, the sun moves, the pulsar moves and even the dark matter moves."

"We observe deviations in the arrival time caused by the change in the distance between the observed mass and the line of sight to our "clock" pulsar. 

A mass the size of the sun can create a delay of about 10 milliseconds. The observations that Professor LeSoco made have resolutions on the order of nanoseconds, 10,000 times smaller.

"One of the findings shows a distortion of about 20 percent of the sun's mass. This object could be potential dark matter."

"The true nature of dark matter is a mystery," concluded Professor Lesuko. "This study sheds new light on the nature of the dark matter and its dispersion in the Milky Way, and may also improve the accuracy of the precise pulsar data"

For the article of the State Astronomical Society

More of the topic in Hayadan:

Comments

  1. I understood the logic of this study!
    First, they state that the pulsars send out radio radiation at regular time intervals, and this makes them "very precise clocks".
    Then they notice "changes and delays in the timing of pulsars".
    Then they decide, it is not clear why, that this phenomenon is precisely "an indication that the radio beams move around an invisible concentration of mass somewhere between the pulsar and the telescope". This is a decision, a decision, in which there is no trace of arbitrariness...!
    In the next step it is "believed" that "these invisible masses are potential objects of dark matter". Yes, "believers". Every person has the freedom of belief, especially scientists. That's how it is in a liberal democracy, isn't it?
    Then they explain the (trivial) fact that "light passing near regions of dark matter will slow down due to its presence". Well, this dark non is matter matter ….
    It is further explained that "even the dark matter moves, and "we observe deviations in the arrival time caused by the change in the distance between the observed mass and the line of sight to our "clock" pulsar", and that "one of the findings indicates a distortion of approximately 20 percent of the mass of the Sun".
    And now - hallelujah, eureka, we found the dark matter. This, even though "the true nature of dark matter is a mystery". And it is still unclear whether such a thing even exists or if it is a wild hypothesis, invented ad hoc to explain observational anomalies at the edges of certain galaxies, whose accelerations apparently do not fit with the theory of relativity. But there is no difficulty in concluding the article solemnly "This study sheds new light on the nature of dark matter and its dispersion for the Milky Way, and may also improve the accuracy of the precise pulsar data." Aha! We saved the theory by inventing a wonderful new world! We have spared the hard and boring work of creating serious science aimed at a revised/refined/more accurate theory. How good it is that we have returned to the primitive Aristotelian science, where every phenomenon has an object or power peculiar to it. The main thing is that the research budgets flow and the positions are filled.

  2. A. What is "AM radiation"?
    B. "The University of Notre Dame" and not "Noter Blood".
    third. Can photons (on which all astronomy relies) decay into other particles or photons of lower frequency?
    d. Starlight and the cosmic background radiation can enlarge the valve of black holes and "neutralize" the effect of Planck radiation, so that the dark matter can be small black holes.

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