Assistant Professor Cosmin Ilie and senior Richard Casey examined the theory advanced by Katherine Freese and Martin Winkler from the University of Texas at Austin, suggesting dark matter may have originated from a distinct event, a "Dark Big Bang," that occurred after the universe's inception.
Traditionally, it is understood that all matter, including dark matter, emerged from the Big Bang, marking the end of the rapid expansion known as cosmic inflation, where vacuum energy transitioned into a hot plasma teeming with radiation and particles.
Dark matter, making up about 25% of the universe's energy makeup, remains elusive despite indirect evidence observed through its gravitational effects on cosmic structures and its trace in the cosmic microwave background radiation. In 2023, Freese and Winkler proposed that dark matter could stem from a second Big Bang event, separate from the original, triggered by a quantum field decaying in a false metastable vacuum state.
Ilie and Casey's recent research refines this Dark Big Bang hypothesis by delineating scenarios compatible with existing data. Their findings reveal unexplored parameter ranges that could shed light on dark matter's production and predict gravitational waves potentially detectable by upcoming observational efforts.
"Detecting gravitational waves from the Dark Big Bang could offer critical evidence supporting this theory of dark matter," said Ilie. "With projects like the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA) and the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) nearing operation, we might soon test this model in groundbreaking ways."
The NANOGrav collaboration's 2023 discovery of background gravitational waves, as part of the IPTA, hints at a possible Dark Big Bang occurrence. As more data becomes available, these results may help refine the parameters of this model, potentially confirming it as the source of dark matter.
These insights may not only redefine the narrative of dark matter but also expand the understanding of the universe's early formation and the forces influencing its development. Research continues to unlock the enigmatic nature of dark matter, pushing the boundaries of cosmology.
Related Links
Department of Physics and Astronomy at Colgate University
Understanding Time and Space
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