Astronomers suggest a “mirror universe” as a possible explanation for dark matter

A group of physicists proposed the idea that the mirror universe, which is the universe located next to… Our visible universe exists, It could explain dark matter. They state that there is Effects of millions “Mirror stars” can be discovered from this universe and the DM may exist in this mirror universe, Existing in parallel with our world. This team with first author Isabella Armstrongfrom the University of Toronto, looked for these mirror stars to support this idea.

Dark matter is more than one type?
Dark matter It is an undiscovered form of matter that makes up about 85% of the total mass of the universe. The nature of the DM remains a mystery to astronomers We have independent evidence that all points to the existence of a form of matter in the universe that is not actually visible. This mysterious substance does not interact with light. But it has a gravitational effect on “ordinary” matter. Dark matter keeps galaxies glued together, so to speak, and bends the path of background light throughout the universe, but despite these clues to its existence, DM's identity remains unknown.

For decades, cosmologists have assumed that there is only one type of DM, a single type that dominates the universe, but… Now people are starting to wonder Whether the DM is perhaps as diverse as the “normal” universe. For example, this team predicts existence from U.S “Twin universe” or “mirror universe” Every particle has a “natural” matter that lives in the dark sector. To explain where this DM comes from, they have now come up with The idea of ​​a mirror universe on me. This universe will be composed of atomic dark matter, which contains dark matter versions of our “normal” atoms. In this view of the universe, there would be dark electrons, dark quarks, dark neutrinos, and so on, all interacting through their own set of fundamental forces, completely foreign to the forces we know. Astronomers have no idea how to test this theory They are explained in this ArXiv article.

Mirror universe
isabella armstrong, Stilt “You get stars that look like the 'normal' stars we see, like our sun, but they are made of dark matter.” And “They will emit dark photons.” Mirror stars will appear In a process similar to the formation of “ordinary” stars; nLike “normal” stars, nuclear fusion will occur in their cores, but with dark hydrogen, which fuses into dark helium. Such stars would be “normal” in our universe They could exist, but they would not emit visible light, and would have no effect on matter in our universe except through their gravity. This would make it invisible to telescopes. It's as if they are in a world that has no effect on our world: a type Mirror universe. Armstrong and his colleagues have proposed a way to see such stars: This is possible if it contains “clumps” of ordinary matter. When such a mirror star moves through a (normal) galaxy, its gravity pulls in the “normal” matter, such as the gas in the galaxy. “This gas heats up and then starts emitting light.”“Armstrong said.

It will also illuminate the mass of visible matter inside the invisible mirror star. It will look like one White dwarf, the remains of sun-like stars Who have reached the end of their lives. But unlike white dwarfs, researchers say this mass of mirrored stellar matter will emit a surprising fraction of X-rays and visible light. “So this is how you can tell them apart.” Armstrong said. physical Rabindra Mohapatra From the University of Maryland, he finds the idea of ​​mirror stars and a dark universe “plausible,” but… He also adds a comment. If mirror stars existed at all, their lifetimes would be shorter than those of ordinary stars, and so they would be gone by now. Mohapatra “Density is lower in the mirror world.” And it continues As a result, such stars burn through their fuel much faster, and their lifespan is ten times shorter than that of ordinary stars. At the end of their lives, these stars will form the various forms of black holes or neutron stars.

The idea of ​​mirror stars and a mirror universe is largely speculative. Future telescopes you could look at include Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which will conduct a large-scale survey of the universe starting in 2025. This new instrument is expected to detect many faint light objects. sources; live sciences, newscientist, European Space Agency, NASA

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