A study by SISSA provides important information on its composition and on its interaction with luminous matter
Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati
They are called low-surface-brightness galaxies and it is thanks to them that important confirmations and new information have been obtained on one of the largest mysteries of the cosmos: dark matter. “We have found that disc galaxies can be represented by a universal relationship. In particular, in this study we analysed the so-called Low-Surface-Brightness (LSB) galaxies, a particular type of galaxy with a rotating disc called this way because they have a low-density brightness “says Chiara di Paolo, astrophysicist at SISSA and lead author of a study recently published in MNRAS together with Paolo Salucci (astrophysicist at SISSA) and Erkurt Adnan (Istanbul University).
The researchers analysed the speed at which the stars and gases that compose the galaxies subject matter of the study rotate, noting that the LSBs also have a very homogenous behaviour. This result consolidates several clues on the presence and behaviour of dark matter, opening up new scenarios on its interactions with bright matter.
Lights and shadows on matter
It is there but you cannot see it. Dark matter appears to account for approximately 90% of the mass of the Universe; it has effects that can be detected on the other objects present in the cosmos, and yet it cannot be observed directly because it does not emit light (at least for the way in which it has been searched for to date). One of the methods for studying it is that of rotation curves of the galaxies, systems that describe the trend of the speed of stars based on their distance from the centre of the galaxy. The variations observed are connected to the gravitational interactions due to the presence of stars and to the dark component of matter. Consequently, the rotation curves are a good way to have information on the dark matter based on its effects on what it is possible to observe. In particular, the analysis of the rotation curves can be conducted individually or on groups of galaxies that share similar characteristics according to the universal rotation curve (URC) method.
The novelty of the research lies in having applied the URC method for the first time, already used for other types of galaxies, to a large sample of low-surface-brightness galaxies, obtaining similar results. “We have compared rotation curves of various LSB galaxies finding that there is no discontinuity but gradual and ordered variations starting from the small to the large. Something similar was also observed for spiral galaxies,” explains Salucci, the other author of the study: “This method was applied for the first time in 1996, and to date it has shown that all disc, spiral, dwarf and now also the LSB galaxies can be represented by a universal relationship. This means that we are able to express an ordered trend through a formula which, keeping account of very few parameters, describes how dark matter and luminous matter are distributed”.
New possible scenarios
As it often happens in scientific research, the study has revealed further surprising and unexpected results. “We have discovered relationships of scale between the properties of the stellar disc and those of the dark matter halo, for example a relationship between the dimensions of the stellar discs and the dimensions of the internal region with a constant density of the dark matter halo” explains Chiara Di Paolo. “Furthermore, by comparing the relationships found in the LSB with those obtained in different types of galaxies, we have found that they are all almost coincidental. And it has been a great surprise to verify that galaxies with a very different morphology and history show the same relationships between the properties of dark matter and those of luminous matter”. This result, together with some specific features of LSB galaxies, opens up a new series of scenarios including that of the existence of another type of direct interaction, in addition to the gravitational one, between the two types of matter that form galaxies. A fascinating idea to be verified by new observations.
###
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
“One of the methods for studying it is that of rotation curves of the galaxies, systems that describe the trend of the speed of stars based on their distance from the centre of the galaxy. The variations observed are connected to the gravitational interactions due to the presence of stars and to the dark component of matter. ”
Um… is it just me?
The rotation peculiarities of galactic disks was WHY they invented Dark Matter and now they are using those peculiarities to explain DM?
Shouldn’t they be looking for actual evidence rather than circular reasoning?
Yep, but they are very intelligent so it is better termed as torusional reasoning.
(Mobiussinal is reserved for the politicians)
MarkMcD – very good point. And am I alone in thinking that Einstein’s explanation of gravity – curved space – was no explanation at all? It seems to me that if only they could work out the mechanism of gravity they might do a lot better.
There’s a guy by name, Reg Cahill, from Adelaide Uni. He shows that Michelson-Morley actually DID get a result as did those who tried to duplicate the M-M and explains why.
http://www.mountainman.com.au/process_physics/hps09.pdf
Another point of failure is James Clerk Maxwell’s original book and formulae. Far from what we were taught about the mechanics of EM, Maxwell wrote in quaternions, 4 dimensional equations, subsequently truncated by Oliver Heaviside and Heinrich Hertz into vector equations, losing 2 forces along the way.
And all our physics is based on tyhose truncated equations. At least 2 researchers used those 2 missing forces, Tesla and Thomas Townsend Brown to produce effects we still don’t understand. IIRC they are electrostatic (as a force, not an effect) and electrogravitic. TTB made things fly with no motor or fuel.
M-M finding a result would mean there’s an Aether, (active ether) instead of the dead and unresponsive one in Einstein’s universe. So we do not need all these ‘force particles’ and Einstein’s Relativity becomes in need of radical rethink.
And Einsteinian gravity doesn’t, as I understand it, and can’t exist so we need a rethink there as well. (which might allow us an explanation for things like how gravity lensing – e.g. around the Sun – is ONLY present out to the edge of the corona)
Then we add in the 3 magics, Inflation, Dark Matter and Dark Energy, all solely defined as being just what is needed to make the Big Bang theory produce the observed universe .
We need to go back to the 1800’s level and start over and come up with a physics that provides a SMP and SMC (Standard Model of Particles and Cosmology) That matches the real universe and not the fantasy one that is so complicating physics.
“The researchers analysed the speed at which the stars and gases that compose the galaxies subject matter of the study rotate, noting that the LSBs also have a very homogenous behaviour.”
============
Measured the speed ?, no mention of “time” ?
We are told that there isn’t any dark matter around here. It’s all over there. But we can’t see it because it doesn’t interact with anything that affects what we see or how we see it. But it does affect gravity a bit. Seems to me that we could very easily be surrounded and/or occupied by dark matter – we don’t appear to have any method of detecting it if or when it’s nearby.
Does increase in CO2 increase or decrease the amount of Dark Matter? Are we doomed either way?
Once mainstream science accepts that photons have real mass and multiple real spins and are attracted to matter there is no need for the dark matter/energy fudge. Physics needs to get back to the real world of hard knocks and forget the magical mathematical models.
The science of “dark matter” is even more stupid than “climate science”. Of course there is a direct correlation of visible matter and “dark matter”. In fact dark matter is just where visible matter is.
It all reminds me of a prominent crime case a few years ago which I could solve instantly by logical reasoning, and possible I should have informed authorities, though they might not have listened. They were searching for a female “Phantom serial killer” which left her DNA on a huge number of crime scenes, ranging from cop-kills to home invasions, to quite trivial burglaries. It turned out, the female owning that DNA was actually involved in the production of the cotton buds used to take the DNA..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_of_Heilbronn
The “dark matter” is strictly correlated to visible, or rather real matter, because what they observe is a function of real matter. Real matter, as opposed to fictuous “dark matter” has an effect on space-time and drags space along with it. This is even a well known phenomenon with regard to black holes, where neighboring space will be rotating according to the black holes own rotation.
Since black holes are so massive, they are dominating neighboring matter in defining space-time. The closer you get to the black hole, the stronger that domination and the faster space will rotate.
Of course the same is true for galaxies, although due to their size (relative to tiny and compact black holes) their effects on space-time are much more subtle, blurred and much harder to detect. Yet, with space rotating with the galaxy, this dramatically reduces centrifugal forces.
So the basic mistake here is to take centrifugal forces as given and try to match gravity to it, by means of adding additional matter, in this case “dark matter”. While in reality gravity is just fine, but you need to reconsider centrifugal forces..
There is no such thing as ‘centrifugal force’ any more than there is a ‘Coriolis force’.
My two cents:
Quantum mechanics does well on the atomic scale, Newtonian mechanics on the planetary scale, and Dark mechanics on the grand scale of galaxies…We simply have not invented the Dark mechanics part. I doubt there is actually any “dark” matter at all.
Dark matter and dark energy are postulated because physicists may not be open to considering a fifth fundamental force weaker than gravity, but operating over longer distances. Think about the increasing distances over which the four fundamental forces operate; using Occam’s razor, postulate a fifth fundamental force; and then develop its theory and equations which would allow for some predictions that would be substantiated by experimental measurements.