Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Industry and Business News .




STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Shining light on elusive dark matter
by Staff Writers
Paris (ESA) Apr 05, 2013


Planck's high-precision cosmic microwave background map has allowed scientists to extract the most refined values yet of the Universe's ingredients. Normal matter that makes up stars and galaxies contributes just 4.9% of the Universe's mass/energy inventory. Dark matter, which is detected indirectly by its gravitational influence on nearby matter, occupies 26.8%, while dark energy, a mysterious force thought to be responsible for accelerating the expansion of the Universe, accounts for 68.3%. The 'before Planck' figure is based on the WMAP nine-year data release presented by Hinshaw et al (2013). Copyright ESA and the Planck Collaboration.

The antimatter hunter AMS-02 on the International Space Station is searching for the missing pieces of our Universe. The project's first results published are hinting at a new phenomenon and revealing more about the invisible 'dark matter'.

AMS-02, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, consists of seven instruments that monitor cosmic rays from space. Unprotected by Earth's atmosphere the instruments receive a constant barrage of high-energy particles. As these particles pass through AMS-02, the instruments record their speed, energy and direction.

The project is one of the largest scientific collaborations of all time involving 56 institutes from 16 countries. The instrument was tested at ESA's technical facility ESTEC in the Netherlands before being shipped to the US for launch on Space Shuttle Endeavour. As part of his DAMA mission, ESA astronaut Roberto Vittori controlled the Shuttle's robotic arm that transferred the 6918 kg instrument to the International Space Station in 2011.

Scientists have collected data on over 400 000 electrons together with their antimatter twins, the positrons. The newly released data shows how the ratio of positrons compared to electrons passing through AMS-02 changes depending on their energy, confirming data from previous instruments.

The findings hint at a new phenomenon but it is unknown whether the positron ratio comes from dark energy particles colliding with each other or from pulsating stars in our galaxy that produce antimatter.

Shine a torch in a completely dark room, and you will see only what the torch illuminates. That does not mean that the room around you does not exist. Similarly we know dark matter exists but have never observed it directly.

ESA's Planck satellite refined our knowledge of what makes up our Universe, showing last month that it is made of 26.8% dark matter. AMS-02 and the operators controlling it are working day and night to investigate the individual particles that make up dark matter.

Despite recording over 30 billion cosmic rays since AMS-2 was installed on the International Space Station in 2011, the findings presented today are based on only 10% of the readings the instrument will deliver over its lifetime.

Scientists are confident that AMS-02 will deliver the data needed to solve the riddle of where the changes in positron ratio come from in the near future.

"Over the coming months, AMS will be able to tell us conclusively whether these positrons are a signal for dark matter, or whether they have some other origin." says Professor Samuel Ting, the project's lead investigator.

.


Related Links
DAMA Mission
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Astrophysicists to probe dark matter in sunny California
Rochester NY (SPX) Apr 04, 2013
Uncloaking the secrets of dark matter in the universe is a cosmological conundrum puzzling some of the brightest astrophysicists. An upcoming conference, sponsored by the American Astronomical Societyand organized by Rochester Institute of Technology professor Sukanya Chakrabarti, will probe the mass that does not absorb or emit light, and which is never seen, only inferred by its gravitat ... read more


STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Michigan Tech researcher slashes optics laboratory costs

CO2 could produce valuable chemical cheaply

Catalyst in a teacup: New approach to chemical reduction

Lasers could yield particle research tool

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Soldiers and Families Can Suffer Negative Effects from Modern Communication Technologies

DARPA Seeks More Robust Military Wireless Networks

DoD Selects Northrop Grumman for Joint Command and Control System

Northrop Grumman Highlights Affordable Milspace Communications

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Future Looks Bright for Private US Space Ventures

Europe's next ATV resupply spacecraft enters final preparatio?ns for its Ariane 5 launch

ILS Proton Launches Satmex 8 Satellite for Satmex

When quality counts: Arianespace reaffirms its North American market presence

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
China preps civilian use of GPS system

GPS device could stem bike thefts

Apple patent shows pen with GPS, phone

Ground system improves satellite navigation precision

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Third F-35B For United Kingdom Makes First Flight

Eurocopter vies for big-ticket Polish chopper deal

Bangladesh embarks on massive Yak deal

Davis-Monthan AFB Receives HC-130J Combat King II

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Technique for cooling molecules may be a stepping stone to quantum computing

Penn engineers enable 'bulk' silicon to emit visible light for the first time

TED brings innovation talk to Intel

Ultra-precision positioning

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
NASA Flies Radar South on Wide-Ranging Scientific Expedition

Protecting history with satellites

China to launch high-res Earth-observation satellite

How hard is it to 'de-anonymize' cellphone data?

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Latin America looks to earn from e-waste

Russia seeks Baltic pollution partnerships

Indian court fines Vedanta $20 mn for polluting

Ultrafine particles raise concerns about improved cookstoves




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement