Gravitational waves may have played a key role in creating dark matter during the universe’s earliest moments according to a modern study by Professor Joachim Kopp of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the PRISMA++ Cluster of Excellence working with Dr. Azadeh Maleknejad from Swansea University.
The research published in Physical Review Letters introduces calculations suggesting stochastic gravitational waves could give rise to dark matter through a previously unexplored process. This addresses one of the biggest unanswered questions in particle physics where visible matter accounts for only about four percent of the universe although dark matter represents roughly 23 percent.
How gravitational waves could produce dark matter particles
The study investigates whether gravitational waves believed to have been ubiquitous in the early universe could be partially converted into dark matter particles. Researchers propose that early gravitational waves produced fermions with little or no mass that later gained mass and evolved into the dark matter particles observed today.
Kopp explained that this leads to a new mechanism of dark matter production that has not been researched before. The function focuses on stochastic gravitational waves which arise from processes not involving massive objects and form part of the background signal filling the universe including signals from the earliest phases after the Huge Bang.
What comes next for this line of research
The next step involves going beyond analytical estimates to conduct numerical calculations to improve prediction accuracy. Another avenue for future research is investigating further possible effects of gravitational waves in the early universe.
What are stochastic gravitational waves
Stochastic gravitational waves are a weaker type of gravitational wave arising from a range of processes that do not involve massive objects such as black hole or neutron star collisions. They form part of the background signal filling the universe and may date back to the earliest phases after the Big Bang.
Why does this research matter for understanding dark matter
This research proposes a novel mechanism for dark matter formation that addresses the ongoing mystery of what dark matter is made of. Despite its enormous influence shaping galaxies and cosmic structures scientists still do not know the true nature of dark matter which represents roughly 23 percent of the universe.