Dark matter may have a unique periodic table of invisible elements

In an attempt to explain dark matter, the mysterious form that makes up most of the total mass of the Universe but does not emit, absorb or reflect light, several scientists have devised different model constructions of the early universe. Although most of them have identified this undetectable form in rotation rates of stars within galaxies, no one knows exactly what it is.

Previous work assumed dark matter was simple: a single type of extremely light particle, flooding the universe, that almost never interacted with normal matter. But intense searches for new particles of this type have yielded nothing. In other words, there is still a lack of theoretical models

Now, a recent study, carried out by an international team of cosmologists and not yet peer-reviewed, proposes a new model of dark matter called “Recycling”. The solution proposed by the authors to explain the generation of massive dark matter particles shortly after the Big Bang is simplistic: peppering the cosmos with primordial black holes (PBHs).

How does dark matter emerge in the new model?

According to the new study, during a cosmic phase transition of the Universe, dark matter particles may have become temporarily trapped in a higher energy state (called by astronomers a “false vacuum”).

At some point, these “pockets” collapsed forming so-called primordial black holes (PBHs), the first to form after the Bing Bang. From there, these theoretical objects could evaporate through the phenomenon known as “Hawking radiation” to reproduce particles from the dark sector, before the Big Bang nucleosynthesis, the period of formation of the nuclei of light elements, such as hydrogen and helium.

“This mechanism is particularly suitable for the production of ultra-heavy dark matter (UHDM) with masses greater than approximately 10¹² grams”, explains the study. In practice, this weight is no more than a gram, but it is quite a lot for an undetectable material.

How does the new model deal with light dark matter in the Universe?

Heavy dark matter was trapped inside bubbles.Source: Getty Images

To explain the limited amount of massive dark matter, the authors note that the early Universe underwent serious phase transitions as the forces of nature separated until only the gravitational, electromagnetic and strong and weak nuclear forces remained.

In this model, lighter dark matter was prevalent in the earliest times but became heavier in later periods, until it collapses and forms PBHs. But as the black holes evaporated, the dark matter returned, albeit in limited total quantities.

Conclusions from dark matter recycling theory

The detection of a single dark particle would open a new era for studies of the Big Bang. Source: Getty Images

The evaporation model brings as its main consequence a wide variety of types of particles, in the same way that our common matter is composed of the proverbial periodic table of elements. This is proposed because, although they share many characteristics (such as almost total invisibility), dark matter particles have different masses, speeds and shapes.

However, empirical evidence to prove these hypotheses is still a long way off because, to date, everything is just hypothetical concepts. In this sense, only the direct detection of a dark particle, which is being attempted through observation of gravitational waves from the Big Bang, could provide direct access to this significant turning point in the Universe.

This would represent a new era of studies on the interactions between the supposed different species of dark matter, which would constitute an intricate web of physics acting invisibly throughout the Universe.

Stay up to date on physics and astronomy here at TecMundo. If you wish, take the opportunity to learn a little more about the galaxy without dark matter, which goes against the standard model of cosmology.