{"id":2168,"date":"2026-02-12T14:46:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T11:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/?p=2168"},"modified":"2026-02-24T18:47:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T15:47:10","slug":"the-search-for-dark-matter-in-our-milky-way-galaxy-is-the-most-challenging-task-in-modern-physics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/2026\/02\/12\/the-search-for-dark-matter-in-our-milky-way-galaxy-is-the-most-challenging-task-in-modern-physics\/","title":{"rendered":"The search for dark matter in our Milky Way galaxy is the most challenging task in modern physics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stars have been observed crawling along the outskirts of the Milky Way more slowly than expected\u2014a slow motion that scientists say can only be explained if our map of galaxies containing dark matter is incorrect. The specific velocities of stars at the edges of these galaxies have historically been irrefutable evidence of the presence of dark matter in galaxies. This is because astronomers can measure a galaxy’s “rotation curve,” which plots the orbital velocities of stars against their distance from the galactic center.<\/span><\/p>\n

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If there were no dark matter (and therefore no gravitational influence), stars would begin to slow down as they moved away from the center of the galaxy. However, in the 1960s and early 1970s, astronomers Vera Rubin and Kent Ford noticed that the rotation curves of galaxies were flat. In other words, the orbital motion of stars did not decrease with distance. They maintained their speed. Scientists believe the explanation for this is that galaxies are surrounded by halos of dark matter. These halos are thought to be densest at the center of the galaxy; it is the gravity of this dark matter that keeps the stars moving.<\/span><\/p>\n

But here’s the thing: since we’re located inside our galaxy and don’t have a bird’s eye view of it, measuring the rotation curve of our Milky Galaxy has proven to be a more challenging task.<\/span><\/p>\n

Accurate distance information is needed to know how far from the galactic center various stars are in the outskirts. In 2019, Anna-Christina Eilers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) led a research team that used the European Space Agency’s Gaia star-measuring mission to map the orbital velocities of stars up to 80,000 light-years from the galactic center. As expected, the researchers found a flat rotation curve with a barely noticeable velocity decrease only for the most distant stars in this sample. The results of the study were published on January 8, 2025, in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThe Milky Way, as seen from our position within it by the Gaia spacecraft. ESA\/Gaia\/DPAC; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

However, new results combining Gaia measurements with data from APOGEE (the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment), a ground-based telescope in New Mexico, USA, which measures the physical properties of stars to more accurately estimate their distance, have indeed made it possible to measure the Milky Way’s rotation curve for stars at much greater distances than ever before, up to about 100,000 light-years.<\/span><\/p>\n

“What really surprised us was that this curve remained flat, flat at a certain distance, and then began to drop off sharply,” said Lina Nesib, an associate professor of physics at MIT, in a statement. “This means that the outer stars are rotating slightly slower than expected, which is a very unexpected result.”<\/span><\/p>\n\n

“At these distances, we’re right at the edge of the galaxy, where stars start to fade,” added Anna Froebel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the same statement. “No one has studied how matter moves in this outer galaxy, where we’re essentially in the void.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The decrease in orbital velocity at these distances indicates that there is less dark matter at the center of our galaxy than expected. The research team describes the galaxy’s dark matter halo as a “core,” somewhat reminiscent of an apple. The team also argues that the gravity from the dark matter present there is insufficient to extend out to 100,000 light-years and maintain the motion of stars at the same speed.<\/span><\/p>\n

“This puts this result in conflict with other measurements,” Nesib said. “Something is going wrong somewhere, and it will be very interesting to figure out exactly where, to get a truly complete picture of the Milky Way.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The next step, according to Necib, is to use high-fidelity computer simulations to model different dark matter distributions within our galaxy to determine which best reproduces the declining rotation curve. Galaxy formation models could then attempt to explain how the Milky Way acquired its unique, coreless dark matter distribution\u2014and why other galaxies didn’t.<\/span><\/p>\n

A faint glow in the Milky Way may be a trace of dark matter. The century-old mystery of dark matter, thought to hold galaxies together, has received a modern clue.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Scientists say they may be one step closer to confirming the existence of this elusive substance thanks to new models that suggest the faint glow at the center of the Milky Way could be a long-sought sign of dark matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dark matter, which makes up approximately 27% of all matter in the universe, remains one of the greatest mysteries of cosmology. It neither absorbs nor reflects light, making it completely invisible to telescopes. Despite decades of experiments, from underground particle detectors to orbiting space observatories, scientists have yet to detect it directly. However, new computer models developed by Mourou’s team may now bring us one step closer to solving this mystery. The results were presented in a paper published on October 16, 2025, in the journal Physical Review Letters.<\/span><\/p>\n

The findings suggest that dark matter near the center of the Milky Way may not form a perfect sphere, as scientists long believed. Instead, it appears flattened, almost egg-shaped, a shape that closely matches the pattern of mysterious gamma rays observed by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.<\/span><\/p>\n

This confirms the results of research begun in 2008, when the Fermi telescope first detected a broad, hazy glow of high-energy light near the galactic core, extending for approximately 7,000 light-years. The signal was much brighter than existing models could explain.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Some scientists have suggested that these beams may be a byproduct of collisions and annihilations of invisible dark matter particles known as WIMPs (short for “weakly interacting massive particles”). Others have argued that they originate from rapidly rotating stellar remnants known as millisecond pulsars\u2014ancient, rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit beams of radiation like cosmic lighthouses.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pulsar theory made sense because the gamma radiation appeared flat and convex, like the star-filled central region of the Milky Way. If dark matter were behind the glow, scientists would expect a smoother, more rounded pattern.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThis panorama spans 300 light-years across the core of our Milky Way galaxy. Could there be traces of dark matter somewhere out there? NASA<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Mourou and his team decided to test both ideas. Using powerful supercomputers, they reconstructed the formation of the Milky Way, including billions of years of violent collisions and mergers with smaller galaxies. The researchers discovered that these violent events left profound imprints on the distribution of dark matter in the galaxy’s core.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the new study, given this complex history, the simulated dark matter halo no longer appears spherical. Instead, it takes on a flattened, egg-shaped form, consistent with the gamma-ray pattern observed by the Fermi telescope.<\/span><\/p>\n

The data obtained suggest that dark matter remains a strong candidate for the source of the Milky Way’s mysterious glow. However, the researchers say this doesn’t completely rule out the existence of pulsars. Both possibilities, the scientists conclude, are now “virtually indistinguishable.”<\/span><\/p>\n

If the excess does indeed arise from dark matter collisions, it would be the first indirect evidence for the existence of WIMP particles, one of the leading candidates for dark matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Definitive answers may emerge by the late 2020s, when the Cherenkov Telescope Observatory (CTAO) begins scanning the sky from its two sites in Chile and Spain. According to the researchers, this facility will be able to observe gamma rays with much higher resolution than Fermi, potentially helping them distinguish between higher-energy pulsar swarms and lower-energy annihilating dark matter particles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mourou added that gamma-ray observations of smaller dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way, whose cores also harbor dense clumps of dark matter, could further test both possibilities. Scientists are convinced of the existence of dark matter. The search for its detection remains arguably one of the most complex and exciting challenges in modern physics.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/i> Comment on Facebook* The owner of the Meta company is recognized as extremist in Russia and is banned.<\/span><\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stars have been observed crawling along the outskirts of the Milky Way more slowly than expected\u2014a slow motion that scientists say can only be explained if our map of galaxies containing dark matter is incorrect. The specific velocities of stars at the edges of these galaxies have historically been irrefutable evidence of the presence of dark matter in galaxies. This is because astronomers can measure a galaxy’s “rotation curve,” which plots the orbital velocities of stars against their distance from the galactic center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2169,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[545,40],"tags":[307,720],"class_list":{"0":"post-2168","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-deepspace","8":"category-kosmos","9":"tag-dark-matter","10":"tag-milky-way"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2168"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2202,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2168\/revisions\/2202"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planeta21vek.ru\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}