In the center of the Milky Way, the stars seem younger than they should
NASA, Caltech, Susan Table (SSC, Caltech)
The stars near the center of our galaxy can be almost immortal because they engulf the dark matter for energy.
More than two decades ago, astronomers noticed something star in the stars near the center of the Milky Way. First, the light they issue suggests that they are younger than expected according to their mass, a problem nicknamed the “youth paradox”. Second, older stars are unusually rare in this region, a problem called “old age enigma”.
Now, Isabelle John at the University of Stockholm in Sweden and her colleagues have used computer simulation to show that dark matter can help solve the two puzzles.
The galactic center is known to be exceptionally dense with dark matter, so researchers have simulated what happens when a particle of dark matter strikes a star. They found that each of these parties loses energy and was trapped in the star when he collided with the nuclei of the atoms of the star. If other black matter particles are already stuck in the same place, they end up anchoring themselves and each annihilation produces an energy explosion that makes the star more brilliant.
The reason why the stars are aging is that they lack fuel for nuclear fusion, but dark matter could be an additional source of energy that extends the life of a star. In fact, there is so much dark matter near the galactic center that this process could effectively make immortal stars, says John.
She says that her team’s simulations are based on very common assumptions about dark matter and correspond qualitatively to past observations. But the real world data could go further. The collection of data and management more telescopes in new discoveries on dark matter, which is poorly understood, could help to identify the stars of the center of the Milky Way could in fact live forever.
Marc Pinsonneault from Ohio State University says it is also important to consider what simulations mean for stars that are more distant from the Galactic Center. We have very detailed observation data on the stars closer to the earth, so all the predicted effects of dark matter must also be verified in relation to this data, he says.
Subjects:
