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Friday 15 January 2010

Is dark matter shedding light on baryonic matter?

Recent experiments measuring the proportions of baryonic matter compared to dark matter in different sized galaxies, has sparked a lot of excitement in the quest to discover what dark matter actually consists of.
Scientists have discovered that the larger galaxies tend to contain the most baryonic matter (about 17%), compared to its dark matter content, while the smaller dwarf galaxies appear to contain as little as one percent of the bright stuff (and 99% dark).
This bodes well for theories supporting the notion that galaxy formation occured within larger gravitationally bound clumps of dark matter, spread across the Universe.

What has not been postulated until now, is that dark matter might, under certain extreme conditions, transform into bright (or baryonic) matter made of ordinary atoms.
To this end, we could observe dim dwarf galaxies that have higher percentages (than 1%) of baryonic matter and determine if they have existed for a longer time.
If this were found to be the case, then it could imply that dark matter in those slightly brighter galaxies had transformed into bright matter.

This then, would clearly link dark matter more closely with baryonic matter, pointing to the possibility of dark matter being baryonic, albeit somehow in a non reactive form.
The stumbling block remains though,that bright matter does not appear to react or interact with dark matter.
That is why many physicists believe dark matter to be non-baryonic
These recent findings could cause these assumptions to be re-visited.

Is it possible that galaxies start off composed entirely of dark matter, that gradually transforms into bright baryonic matter?
If any dim dwarf galaxies appear to brighten, even slightly,then such a notion is worth investigating.
Such an investigation might start with the question; "Is dark matter unstable, or is it just me?"

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