WASHINGTON: For the first time, astronomers have discovered a giant string of invisible dark matter across the universe between a pair of galaxy clusters. The universe is thought to be filled with such strings of dark matter, a mysterious substance that cannot be seen, only sensed through its gravitational pull.
Scientists have made many attempts earlier to find dark matter filaments, which are predicted by theories that suggest galaxy clusters form at the intersections of filaments . Dark matter is thought to make up 98% of all matter in the universe. Now, scientists find a giant filament that forms a bridge between two huge clusters called Abell 222 and Abell 223, which lie 2.7 billion light-years away.
"This is the first time (a dark matter filament) has been convincingly detected from its gravitational lensing effect," said Jorg Dietrich ,an astronomer at the University Observatory Munich in Germany.
"It's a resounding confirmation of the standard theory of structure formation of the universe. And it's a confirmation people didn't think was possible at this point," Dietrich said. Many astronomers thought detecting filaments would have to wait until telescopes became significantly more advanced, but Dietrich and his colleagues benefited from the rare spatial geometry of this cluster, which allowed them to detect signs of what's called weak gravitational lensing.
Scientists have made many attempts earlier to find dark matter filaments, which are predicted by theories that suggest galaxy clusters form at the intersections of filaments . Dark matter is thought to make up 98% of all matter in the universe. Now, scientists find a giant filament that forms a bridge between two huge clusters called Abell 222 and Abell 223, which lie 2.7 billion light-years away.
"This is the first time (a dark matter filament) has been convincingly detected from its gravitational lensing effect," said Jorg Dietrich ,an astronomer at the University Observatory Munich in Germany.
"It's a resounding confirmation of the standard theory of structure formation of the universe. And it's a confirmation people didn't think was possible at this point," Dietrich said. Many astronomers thought detecting filaments would have to wait until telescopes became significantly more advanced, but Dietrich and his colleagues benefited from the rare spatial geometry of this cluster, which allowed them to detect signs of what's called weak gravitational lensing.
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