The future Laser Interferometric Space Antenna (LISA) will be a powerful tool that will allow astronomers to study phenomena such as colliding black holes and gravitational waves traveling through spacetime. Scientists from the University of Zurich concluded that LISA could also shed light on the elusive particles of dark matter. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna will allow astrophysicists to observe the gravitational waves emitted by black holes as they collide with other black holes.
LISA will consist of three spacecraft orbiting the Sun in a constant triangular formation. Gravitational waves passing through them will slightly distort the sides of the triangle, and these minimal distortions can be detected by laser beams connecting spacecraft.
How will LISA search for dark matter?
Scientists at the Center for Theoretical Astrophysics and Cosmology at the University of Zurich, along with colleagues from Greece and Canada, have found that LISA will not only be able to measure these previously unexplored waves, but will also help uncover the secrets of dark matter.
It is believed that dark matter particles make up about 85% of the matter in the universe. But their existence has not yet been proven - hence the elusiveness of dark matter. Calculations show that many galaxies would simply be torn apart if not held by a large amount of dark matter.
This is especially true for dwarf galaxies. Although small and dim, these galaxies are also the most common in the universe. What makes them especially interesting to astrophysicists is that dark matter predominates in their structures. In fact, these are natural laboratories for studying this unknown form of matter.
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In the new study, Thomas Rumfall performed high-resolution computer simulations of the birth of dwarf galaxies and obtained interesting results. Scientists from Zurich have found a strong link between the rate of merging of black holes and the amount of dark matter in the center of dwarf galaxies. Measuring gravitational waves emitted by merging black holes may ultimately lead us to the properties of hypothetical dark matter particles.
Ilya Khel