- 3849
- DARK MATTER
- mysteries near the Sun? Space probes that fly close to the sun might
one day help to reveal the nature of dark matter. Dark matter is the invisible and largely
intangible substance that researchers suggest makes up about five-sixths of all
matter in the universe.
--------------- 3849 - DARK MATTER - mysteries near the Sun
- Say that again 80% of the Universe is Dark
Matter and we don't know what it is? How
are we going to find out?
-
- Although dark matter hasn't been observed
directly, its existence is hinted at via its gravitational effects on the
movements of stars and galaxies. What dark matter might be composed of remains
a mystery.
-
- A new way to discover the nature of dark
matter is using the most precise timepieces ever made: atomic clocks. Whereas
grandfather clocks keep time by tracking swinging pendulums, atomic clocks
monitor the quantum vibrations of atoms. Currently, the best atomic clock is so
precise, it will essentially lose just one second every 300 billion years.
-
- Atomic clocks are sent into space
regularly. For instance, GPS satellites rely on atomic clocks to broadcast
precisely timed messages that each GPS receiver uses to help pinpoint its location.
-
- A mission, tentatively dubbed “SpaceQ”, is
proposed to an orbit near the sun. The “Parker Solar Probe” closer to the sun
than any other spacecraft had gone before. In 2021, the probe flew across the
sun's corona, its ultrahot upper atmosphere, for the first time, and it
continues to circle closer and closer to our star.
-
- How to most effectively shield the
sensitive quantum sensors from the extreme environments one finds near the
sun. But missions like the Parker Space
Probe show that incredible things are possible, and there seem to be no
absolute roadblocks.
-
- Leading candidates for dark matter include
ghostly ultralight particles. For instance, a hypothetical particle known as an
“axion” may have a mass less than a billionth of an electron's. Theoretical
physicists originally proposed the existence of axions to help explain why
interactions are seen between some particles but not others.
-
- If dark matter is made of ultralight
particles, their insubstantial nature would make them extraordinarily difficult
to detect, explaining why they have eluded discovery to date. However, because
the sun is far heavier than Earth at about 330,000 times the mass of our
planet, it possesses a stronger gravitational pull.
-
- In principle, this means the sun may
collect significantly more dark matter to it than Earth does. This greater
density could make it easier for probes near the sun, closer than Mercury's
orbit, to detect these ghostly particles.
-
- The Parker Solar Probe showed that you
could send a satellite very close to the sun, sensing new conditions and making
discoveries. In principle, waves of
ultralight dark matter particles could trigger variations in fundamental
constants of nature, such as the mass of the electron or the strength of the
electromagnetic force.
-
- This, in turn, would change how atomic
clocks tick, an effect that depends on the atoms the clock uses. By comparing
how two different atomic clocks keep time near the sun, researchers may find
dark matter. Comparable effects also may be seen in future timekeepers that may
prove even more precise than atomic clocks.
-
- If ultra-light dark matter were detected in
a mission like this, it would be a direct probe of both the density of the dark
matter near the sun and its couplings to ordinary matter.
-
- The scientists noted that the SpaceQ mission
would require clocks that are still under development. If we can measure dark matter in different
locations, we can map out the density distribution. And if the signal gets stronger towards the
sun, it would be a compelling smoking-gun signature for discovery.
-
- Atomic clocks are sent into space
regularly. For instance, GPS satellites rely on atomic clocks to broadcast
precisely timed messages that each GPS receiver uses to help pinpoint its
location.
-
- If ultra-light dark matter were detected in
a mission like this, it would be a direct probe of both the density of the dark
matter near the sun and its couplings to ordinary matter.
-
January 28, 2022 DARK MATTER
- mysteries near the Sun? 3849
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--------------------- --- Monday, January 30, 2023 ---------------------------
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