Astronomers Create 3D Map of Dark Matter

SEATTLE - Astronomers have mapped the positions of vast, invisible isles of dark matter in the sky, within which normal "bright" matter galaxies are embedded like glittering gems. The three-dimensional map spans not only space, but also time, and stretches back to when the universe was only about half its present age.

Dark matter is a mysterious hypothetical substance that is thought not to interact with light photons and is thus invisible to current detection instruments.

Some of the strongest evidence for dark matter's existence was announced last year, and even that was highly debated.

Even though dark matter can't be seen directly, some scientists say its presence and distribution in the universe can be observed indirectly by the way its gravity distorts the light of distant galaxies streaming toward us.


SOURCE:
Space.com

This is, in my opinion a very important development, as is
mentioned above, Dark Matter is not directly visible to us,
so we have to look at it in other ways.


Comments, Opinions?

Interesting. Seems to me like this revelation could lend a bias towards m-theory. well at least from my meagre understanding of it.

Originally posted by bum_phantom
Interesting. Seems to me like this revelation could lend a bias towards m-theory. well at least from my meagre understanding of it.

This is the image that has been extrapolated from the data.



The orriginal data produced a 2d version..



Theses scans are taken as deep as 5 billion years, the estimated age of the universe is around 13.7 billion years.

The 3D image was created by using slice scans such as these.



I am currently working on a project that is likely to concur with these findings.

More data as and when it comes in.

All the best,

NeoN HaZe.

Project? Any hints?
From looking at those pictures, and after having read "universe in a nut shell"
I can see how this fits in with gravity propogating from other larger dimensions in accordance with the idea of branes. Which i suppose could explain the whole dark matter thing. Especially with that first image whcih would fit in with the denser, older universe.

Originally posted by bum_phantom
Project? Any hints?
From looking at those pictures, and after having read "universe in a nut shell"
I can see how this fits in with gravity propogating from other larger dimensions in accordance with the idea of branes. Which i suppose could explain the whole dark matter thing. Especially with that first image whcih would fit in with the denser, older universe.

This project...

Finally an answer to EVERYTHING - Quantum Field Gravity - BRAIDS

Loop Quantum Gravity predicts that gravity is caused by space density... the so called dark matter is in fact just space that has a larger surface area curled up on itself in the form of braids.

All the best,

NeoN HaZe

Originally posted by Neon Haze

Loop Quantum Gravity predicts that gravity is caused by space density... the so called dark matter is in fact just space that has a larger surface area curled up on itself in the form of braids.

Neon, could you translate that to english for the rest of us unedumacted ones?

Just a quick scan of the paper in question, and asides from all the razmataz maths which to me means nothing (lack of education in the department of maths and physics on my part as a result of a bad decision to join the armed forces instead of going to uni)

from what i gather this (very bold) paper kinda takes the idea of string theory a step further, instead of suggesting that everything at the planc scale is made of wriggling strands energy, in its stead everything energy and matter could be made of twisted knots of spacetime itself.

*heads up neon if im understanding this correctly

not meaning to sound presumptious but an english explaination for ultralo from one ill-educated to another:

(at least this is how i came to terms with it)

as this paper suggests everything is just a configuration of lil knots in space time that give various properties to all energy and matter.

For instance the observed phenomena of zero point energy (the minute trace of energy in space even in a perfect vacuum) the energy that causes this would be particular shape tangle. so this tangle should be fairly constant throughout space.

However the areas of space where the prescence of dark matter has been observed would be like a change in density because this particular area of space would be comprised of a different kind of knot.

Would this be an accurate translation of the theory neon?

bum_phantom

Originally posted by bum_phantom
as this paper suggests everything is just a configuration of lil knots in space time that give various properties to all energy and matter.

You are 100% correct.

For instance the observed phenomena of zero point energy (the minute trace of energy in space even in a perfect vacuum) the energy that causes this would be particular shape tangle. so this tangle should be fairly constant throughout space.

This is an interesting thought. The concept of Zero Point energy could also be based within the concept of the so called Dark Energy. If you like, the unravelling of Braids to reach a natural cosmic equilibrium… what should be called point zero, the point where space returns to a flat state.

Some believe this to be called the Big Rip, at the end of the known universe. Mathematics dictates however that this point of flat universe is the very precursor of a new so called big bang. This is because of a universal law that states Chaos into order and order into chaos. This is the nature of the quantum realm we occupy.

However, you may also be correct, there could be through out space a kind of base mesh. Though if that were true then the value of the cosmological constant would be infinite and the maths just break down.

At the Planck level of reality it is a seething sea of randomness and is ever changing. A field of pure potentiality.

This is personally where I believe this mysterious energy that has been coined 'Zero Point Energy' comes from.

String theory predicts space is 11 dimensional and space is twisted in a kind of shape called Calabi-Yau manifolds.

These are very difficult to visualise though the following animation gives some idea of what M-Theory thinks space-time actually looks like at the Planck scale. Though this visualisation plays along with your base mesh concept,


I have posted this image in ATS once before... but lost the thread.

However the areas of space where the prescience of dark matter has been observed would be like a change in density because this particular area of space would be comprised of a different kind of knot.
Would this be an accurate translation of the theory neon?

You are spot on

Though note that the area of space at the planck level is 10^33 cm, so Quantum Loop Gravity forms mass by the amount of space that is twisted into a smaller area. Giving that area a greater spatial density.

This spatial density is what I believe we know as dark matter.

Good to see that people are taking this theory on board, also good to see we have some intelligent people in the forces

All the best,

NeoN HaZe.

[edit on 11-1-2007 by Neon Haze]

excellent.
I did have a look at your other thread in the general science forum. However it turned into a shouting match, due to some people having difficulty with understanding the idea of perceptions. something that an 'AS' level philosophy student could understand.
However i did like alot of the clarifications of the braid theory on your part.

Funny that theoretical physics and philosphy are remarkably similar


Anywho it would be interesting as to see how the movers and the shakers of the physics world take this concept.
And if proved to be "true" would lead to some wonderful ramafications.

bum_phantom

I really like images like these... images that give a real spacial description of the universe. I think in spacial constructs and concepts so words and numbers don't really help my brain visualize these things.

It's interesting to note the progression of dark matter density over time in the image. The closer to the capture point, the more recent and more dense.

im aware that this is an old thread, i was actually thinking of creating a new one but i guess this one will do as my question has to do with dark matter in general.

In astrophysics and cosmology, dark matter is matter, not directly observed and of unknown composition, that does not emit or reflect enough electromagnetic radiation to be detected directly, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter.

... Only about 4% of the total energy density in the universe (as inferred from gravitational effects) can be seen directly. About 22% is thought to be composed of dark matter. The remaining 74% is thought to consist of dark energy, an even stranger component, distributed diffusely in space.

Source

The faster an object moves, the more massive it becomes.

Source

do forgive my ignorance but here's my premise:

could it be possible that there are indeed alien civilizations out there and the reason we haven't been able to find or observe proof of these civilizations' radio transmissions and other forms electromagnetic emissions is that they've become sufficiently advanced to such a point that they've become virtually invisible (in all visual spectra -- it goes without saying that these hypothetical civilizations would have faster than light travel), and that perhaps the only way to detect them is through the mass displaced and/or created as they travel and communicate throughout the universe (hence, dark matter).

can our current state-of-the-art equipment and instruments in ground-based and orbital space observatories detect an object moving at faster than light velocities? if not, wouldn't we consider such an anomaly as "dark matter"?

i know its such a huge leap of the imagination and i have no hard data to back up this hypothesis. its just that the mass attributed to dark matter and the increase in mass at velocities approaching or exceeding the speed of light sort of clicked something in my head.

all comments, clarifications and opinions will be much appreciated. if anyone thinks i should make a new thread on this, please send me u2u.

(i admit i'm a bit wary about creating new threads, which might potentially just clutter the site -- especially when most of mine turn out to be such flops that rarely contribute to the knowledge-base :@@


[edit on 20-3-2007 by toreishi]