In a potential breakthrough, NASA’s Fermi gamma-ray space telescope may have directly “seen” dark matter for the first time.
If confirmed, this will be the historic detection of the mysterious substance that makes up to 85% of all matter in the cosmos.
The discovery is primarily based on the basis of gamma rays detection from the heart of the Milky way galaxy.
The research team led by University of Tokyo astronomer Tomonori Totani identified gamma rays with specific energies forming a halo-like structure that precisely matches the expected shape and location of the galaxy’s theoretical dark matter halo.
Totani stated, “This signifies a major development in astronomy and physics.”
The detected signal, with an energy of 20 gigaelectronvolts, closely matched predictions for what would occur when theoretical dark matter particles referred as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) collide and annihilate each other.
For years, dark matter has been considered as science's most enduring mysteries. It was first inferred in 1933.
While accounting for the majority of matter in the universe, it doesn’t interact with light and has remained completely invisible to direct observation, until now.
While Totani expresses confidence that alternative explanations are unlikely, the scientific community will need additional evidence before confirming this as the definitive detection of dark matter.
The researchers suggest that accumulating more data can offer conclusive proof required to solve this cosmic mystery.