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Do I have it right? In common parlance, scientists believe that dark matter - and, moreso, dark energy - feed/nourish our known baryonic/elementary matter and that what they are looking for is one small link to prove that connection? And what they are suspecting is an unknown particle that connects to our known particles?
Just trying to wrap my brain around the vocabulary and how it all falls together. I get lost on HADES' pairing of particles and wonder if one is the known and one the unknown/dark particle. At this stage, HADES has crossed off the dark photon and is searching for another connection. Right?
My main question is are the scientists suspecting that dark matter and dark energy are in some way keeping the known universe functioning and growing?
Do I have it right? In common parlance, scientists believe that dark matter - and, moreso, dark energy - feed/nourish our known baryonic/elementary matter and that what they are looking for is one small link to prove that connection? And what they are suspecting is an unknown particle that connects to our known particles?
Just trying to wrap my brain around the vocabulary and how it all falls together. I get lost on HADES' pairing of particles and wonder if one is the known and one the unknown/dark particle. At this stage, HADES has crossed off the dark photon and is searching for another connection. Right?
My main question is are the scientists suspecting that dark matter and dark energy are in some way keeping the known universe functioning and growing?
"Feed/Nourish" would not be the right adjectives. "Coexist" might be a better adjective choice.
There are only two things that we know about Dark Matter:
It has gravity; and
It does not interact with electromagnetic radiation (we cannot see it).
Since the 1990s they have been looking for a theoretical particle called a WIMP, which is just an acronym for Weakly Interacting Massive Particle, as a candidate for Dark Matter. Thus far they have found nothing.
I also have a problem with this statement from the article:
"While evidences for the Higgs boson were found recently at CERN, the Standard Model looks now complete when supplemented by some neutrino masses, and nothing else seems to be needed to understand the wealth of atomic, sub-nuclear and particle physics phenomena."
The Standard Model is far from complete, and neutrinos are massless. We obviously still have no explanation for Dark Matter, or gravity for that matter, and until we do it would be inaccurate to say the Standard Model for particle physics is complete.
It has been theorized that after the Big Bang and Inflation that the universe continued to expand, albeit at a much slower speed, until somewhere between 6 and 8 billion years after the Big Bang. At that point the universe began accelerating due to the effects of Dark Energy. It has been suggested that Dark Matter and Dark Energy were created at the same instant as everything else, but for the first 6 to 8 billion years Dark Matter held Dark Energy in check. However, as the universe continued to expand, so did Dark Energy until it eventually overwhelmed Dark Matter and began the universe on an accelerated expansion.
Dark Energy is what they are claiming is the cause for the acceleration of the universe. We know absolutely nothing about Dark Energy. We do know, however, that Dark Matter has gravity. Which would have the tendency to slow the universe if it could, but Dark Matter appears to have lost that battle with Dark Energy about 5.8 to 7.8 billion years ago.
The article also uses different names for essentially the same thing. A Dark Photon is also called a Hidden Photon, Heavy Photon, A', and a U-boson. Like the WIMP particle, its existence is entirely theoretical.
As far as where the article states: "Astrophysicists now crossed one potential Dark Matter candidate -- the Dark Photon or U boson -- off the list in top position." I would just like to point out that "the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."
"Feed/Nourish" would not be the right adjectives. "Coexist" might be a better adjective choice.
There are only two things that we know about Dark Matter:
It has gravity; and
It does not interact with electromagnetic radiation (we cannot see it).
Since the 1990s they have been looking for a theoretical particle called a WIMP, which is just an acronym for Weakly Interacting Massive Particle, as a candidate for Dark Matter. Thus far they have found nothing.
I also have a problem with this statement from the article:
"While evidences for the Higgs boson were found recently at CERN, the Standard Model looks now complete when supplemented by some neutrino masses, and nothing else seems to be needed to understand the wealth of atomic, sub-nuclear and particle physics phenomena."
The Standard Model is far from complete, and neutrinos are massless. We obviously still have no explanation for Dark Matter, or gravity for that matter, and until we do it would be inaccurate to say the Standard Model for particle physics is complete.
It has been theorized that after the Big Bang and Inflation that the universe continued to expand, albeit at a much slower speed, until somewhere between 6 and 8 billion years after the Big Bang. At that point the universe began accelerating due to the effects of Dark Energy. It has been suggested that Dark Matter and Dark Energy were created at the same instant as everything else, but for the first 6 to 8 billion years Dark Matter held Dark Energy in check. However, as the universe continued to expand, so did Dark Energy until it eventually overwhelmed Dark Matter and began the universe on an accelerated expansion.
Dark Energy is what they are claiming is the cause for the acceleration of the universe. We know absolutely nothing about Dark Energy. We do know, however, that Dark Matter has gravity. Which would have the tendency to slow the universe if it could, but Dark Matter appears to have lost that battle with Dark Energy about 5.8 to 7.8 billion years ago.
The article also uses different names for essentially the same thing. A Dark Photon is also called a Hidden Photon, Heavy Photon, A', and a U-boson. Like the WIMP particle, its existence is entirely theoretical.
As far as where the article states: "Astrophysicists now crossed one potential Dark Matter candidate -- the Dark Photon or U boson -- off the list in top position." I would just like to point out that "the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."
All right. One thing I see right away. Dark matter and Dark energy are not necessarily working "in partnership" to control the universe. That is the idea I was having. Other than that, a lot to glean from your reply. I'll read it again and learn more. Thank you.
All right. One thing I see right away. Dark matter and Dark energy are not necessarily working "in partnership" to control the universe. That is the idea I was having. Other than that, a lot to glean from your reply. I'll read it again and learn more. Thank you.
Dark Matter and Dark Energy are actually working in opposite directions. Since Dark Matter has gravity, it attracts objects with mass toward it. While Dark Energy is a repulsive force, pushing away all matter (including Dark Matter) in every direction.
As the universe accelerates, the more Dark Energy will dominate the universe.
Dark Matter and Dark Energy are actually working in opposite directions. Since Dark Matter has gravity, it attracts objects with mass toward it. While Dark Energy is a repulsive force, pushing away all matter (including Dark Matter) in every direction.
As the universe accelerates, the more Dark Energy will dominate the universe.
I think I have a wrong definition of 'energy' as far as the universe is concerned. Onward and Upward! Thanks.
These four videos should help. It'll take 4 hours to watch, but well worth it if you want to get close to the current state of Dark Matter and Dark Energy.
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