Dark matter is one of the most elusive and mysterious substances in the universe. It makes up about 85% of the matter in the cosmos, but it does not emit or reflect any light, making it invisible to our eyes and telescopes. Scientists have been trying to detect and study dark matter for decades, using various methods and experiments. However, the nature and properties of dark matter remain largely unknown.

A new research has recently shed some light on this dark mystery, by revealing the distribution of dark matter in never-before-seen detail, down to a scale of 30,000 light-years. The research used a powerful telescope called ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) to study a rare phenomenon called gravitational lensing, which acts like a cosmic magnifying glass, bending and amplifying the light from distant objects. The research was able to detect fluctuations in the dark matter distribution along the line-of-sight, and provide better constraints on the nature of dark matter. The research was published in The Astrophysical Journal.

In this article, we will explain what dark matter is, how gravitational lensing works, how ALMA was used to observe it, and what the new research found and implied about dark matter.

What is Dark Matter and Why is it Important?

Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with electromagnetic radiation, such as light. This means that it is invisible to our eyes and conventional telescopes. However, dark matter does interact with gravity, and it has a significant effect on the structure and evolution of the universe.

Scientists have inferred the existence and amount of dark matter from various observations and measurements, such as the rotation curves of galaxies, the cosmic microwave background radiation, the large-scale structure of the universe, and the gravitational lensing effect. These observations indicate that dark matter accounts for about 85% of the total matter in the universe, while ordinary matter (the stuff we are made of) accounts for only about 15%.

The exact nature and composition of dark matter are still unknown. There are many theories and candidates for what dark matter could be, such as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), axions, sterile neutrinos, primordial black holes, or modified gravity. However, none of these theories have been conclusively confirmed or ruled out by experiments or observations.

Understanding dark matter is important for several reasons. First, it could help us solve some of the fundamental puzzles and problems in physics and cosmology, such as the origin and fate of the universe, the nature of gravity, and the unification of quantum mechanics and general relativity. Second, it could reveal new aspects and phenomena of nature that we have never seen or imagined before. Third, it could have practical applications and implications for technology and society in the future.

How Does Gravitational Lensing Work?

Gravitational lensing is a phenomenon that occurs when a massive object (such as a galaxy or a cluster of galaxies) bends the space-time around it due to its gravity. This causes the light from a more distant object (such as a quasar or a galaxy) behind it to be deflected and distorted as it passes through the warped space-time. As a result, an observer on Earth sees multiple images or arcs of the distant object around the massive object. This effect is similar to how a glass lens bends and magnifies light rays.

Gravitational lensing can be classified into two types: strong lensing and weak lensing. Strong lensing occurs when the alignment between the massive object, the distant object, and the observer is very close, creating multiple images or arcs that are easily visible. Weak lensing occurs when the alignment is not very close, creating subtle distortions or shears in the shapes or orientations of distant objects that are hard to detect.

Gravitational lensing can be used as a powerful tool to study both the massive object (the lens) and the distant object (the source). By measuring the positions, shapes, brightnesses, colors, spectra, and time variations of the lensed images or arcs, astronomers can infer various properties of both objects, such as their masses, distances, velocities, compositions, structures, evolutions, etc.

One of the most important applications of gravitational lensing is to probe dark matter. Since dark matter does not emit or reflect light, it cannot be directly observed by conventional telescopes. However, since dark matter does affect gravity, it can be indirectly detected by gravitational lensing. By analyzing how gravitational lensing distorts or magnifies distant objects behind dark matter clumps or halos (such as galaxies or clusters), astronomers can map out how dark matter is distributed in space.

How Did ALMA Observe Gravitational Lensing?

ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) is an array of 66 radio telescopes located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. It is one of the most powerful and sensitive telescopes in the world, capable of observing the universe in the millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. These wavelengths are between infrared and radio waves, and they can penetrate through dust and gas that block visible light.

ALMA can be used to study various astronomical objects and phenomena, such as the formation of stars and planets, the evolution of galaxies, the origin of chemical elements, and the cosmic microwave background radiation. ALMA can also be used to study gravitational lensing, especially in cases where the lensed source is emitting strongly in the millimeter or submillimeter wavelengths.

One such case is MG J0414+0534, which is a gravitational lens system that was used in the new research. MG J0414+0534 consists of a massive elliptical galaxy (the lens) at a distance of about 3.8 billion light-years from Earth, and a quasar (the source) at a distance of about 11.1 billion light-years from Earth. The quasar is a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy that is accreting matter and emitting powerful jets of radiation. The quasar is emitting strongly in the millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, making it an ideal target for ALMA.

The researchers used ALMA to observe MG J0414+0534 in unprecedented detail, achieving a resolution of about 0.01 arcseconds, which is equivalent to seeing a coin on the Moon from Earth. They were able to resolve four images of the quasar around the galaxy, as well as some substructures within each image. They also measured the spectra and polarization of each image, which provide information on the physical conditions and magnetic fields of the quasar.

What Did the New Research Find and Imply About Dark Matter?

The new research used ALMA’s high-resolution data on MG J0414+0534 to perform a detailed analysis of the gravitational lensing effect. They used a sophisticated model to reconstruct the mass distribution of the lensing galaxy, including both its visible matter (stars and gas) and its dark matter halo. They also accounted for other factors that could affect the lensing effect, such as external shear, microlensing, dust extinction, etc.

The researchers found that their model could reproduce most of the observed features of MG J0414+0534, except for some small deviations or anomalies in the positions and brightnesses of some images or substructures. These anomalies could not be explained by any known sources of uncertainty or error in their model or data.

The researchers proposed that these anomalies could be caused by fluctuations or clumps in the dark matter distribution along the line-of-sight between the quasar and Earth. These fluctuations or clumps could act as additional lenses or perturbations that modify the lensing effect of the main galaxy. The researchers estimated that these fluctuations or clumps have masses ranging from 10^6 to 10^9 solar masses, and sizes ranging from 300 to 30,000 light-years.

The researchers compared their findings with previous studies and models of dark matter, and found that they are consistent with some scenarios and inconsistent with others. For example, their findings are consistent with scenarios where dark matter is composed of cold or warm particles (such as WIMPs or axions), but inconsistent with scenarios where dark matter is composed of hot particles (such as sterile neutrinos) or primordial black holes. Their findings also provide better constraints on the nature and properties of dark matter, such as its mass, cross-section, clustering, substructure, etc.

The researchers concluded that their research demonstrates the power and potential of ALMA to study dark matter using gravitational lensing. They also suggested that future observations with ALMA or other telescopes could further test and refine their results, and explore other gravitational lens systems with similar characteristics.

Conclusion

Dark matter is one of the most intriguing and important mysteries in modern science. A new research has used ALMA to study a gravitational lens system called MG J0414+0534, and revealed the distribution of dark matter in unprecedented detail. The research detected fluctuations or clumps in the dark matter distribution along the line-of-sight, and provided better constraints on the nature of dark matter. The research also showed how ALMA can be used as a powerful tool to probe dark matter using gravitational lensing.

We hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new about dark matter and gravitational lensing. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share them below. Thank you for reading!