Astronomical Signatures of Dark Matter

Several independent astronomical observations in different wavelength bands reveal the existence of much larger quantities of matter than what we would deduce from assuming a solar mass to light ratio. They are very high velocities of individual galaxies within clusters of galaxies, higher than expe...

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Main Authors: Paul Gorenstein, Wallace Tucker
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-01-01
Series:Advances in High Energy Physics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/878203
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author Paul Gorenstein
Wallace Tucker
author_facet Paul Gorenstein
Wallace Tucker
author_sort Paul Gorenstein
collection DOAJ
description Several independent astronomical observations in different wavelength bands reveal the existence of much larger quantities of matter than what we would deduce from assuming a solar mass to light ratio. They are very high velocities of individual galaxies within clusters of galaxies, higher than expected rotation rates of stars in the outer regions of galaxies, 21 cm line studies indicative of increasing mass to light ratios with radius in the halos of spiral galaxies, hot gaseous X-ray emitting halos around many elliptical galaxies, and clusters of galaxies requiring a much larger component of unseen mass for the hot gas to be bound. The level of gravitational attraction needed for the spatial distribution of galaxies to evolve from the small perturbations implied by the very slightly anisotropic cosmic microwave background radiation to its current web-like configuration requires much more mass than is observed across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Distorted shapes of galaxies and other features created by gravitational lensing in the images of many astronomical objects require an amount of dark matter consistent with other estimates. The unambiguous detection of dark matter and more recently evidence for dark energy has positioned astronomy at the frontier of fundamental physics as it was in the 17th century.
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spelling doaj-art-22a203af6d8a42a5bd64874531586c332025-02-03T01:02:07ZengWileyAdvances in High Energy Physics1687-73571687-73652014-01-01201410.1155/2014/878203878203Astronomical Signatures of Dark MatterPaul Gorenstein0Wallace Tucker1Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Gardens Street, MS-4, Cambridge, MA 02138, USAHarvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Gardens Street, MS-4, Cambridge, MA 02138, USASeveral independent astronomical observations in different wavelength bands reveal the existence of much larger quantities of matter than what we would deduce from assuming a solar mass to light ratio. They are very high velocities of individual galaxies within clusters of galaxies, higher than expected rotation rates of stars in the outer regions of galaxies, 21 cm line studies indicative of increasing mass to light ratios with radius in the halos of spiral galaxies, hot gaseous X-ray emitting halos around many elliptical galaxies, and clusters of galaxies requiring a much larger component of unseen mass for the hot gas to be bound. The level of gravitational attraction needed for the spatial distribution of galaxies to evolve from the small perturbations implied by the very slightly anisotropic cosmic microwave background radiation to its current web-like configuration requires much more mass than is observed across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Distorted shapes of galaxies and other features created by gravitational lensing in the images of many astronomical objects require an amount of dark matter consistent with other estimates. The unambiguous detection of dark matter and more recently evidence for dark energy has positioned astronomy at the frontier of fundamental physics as it was in the 17th century.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/878203
spellingShingle Paul Gorenstein
Wallace Tucker
Astronomical Signatures of Dark Matter
Advances in High Energy Physics
title Astronomical Signatures of Dark Matter
title_full Astronomical Signatures of Dark Matter
title_fullStr Astronomical Signatures of Dark Matter
title_full_unstemmed Astronomical Signatures of Dark Matter
title_short Astronomical Signatures of Dark Matter
title_sort astronomical signatures of dark matter
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/878203
work_keys_str_mv AT paulgorenstein astronomicalsignaturesofdarkmatter
AT wallacetucker astronomicalsignaturesofdarkmatter