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Magnificent Seven May Shed Light On Dark Matter - Forbes

Magnificent Seven May Shed Light On Dark Matter - Forbes

Magnificent Seven May Shed Light On Dark Matter - Forbes
Jan 22, 2021 1 min, 23 secs

[+] neutron stars are an ideal laboratory to search for a possible form of dark matter.

A group of scientists have studied a group of seven neutron stars which are emitting an unexplained amount of high energy x-rays and have come up with a possible explanation for the observation. If dark matter exists and is in the form of a theoretical subatomic particle called axions, then a specific class of neutron stars would be an ideal laboratory in which to find it.

But, if the axion >>does<< exist, it could also be dark matter. So how do dark matter axions and neutron stars connect.

A nearby group of seven neutron stars is called the Magnificent Seven. Like all neutron stars, they generate powerful magnetic fields. However, unlike many neutron stars, they are extraordinarily quiescent. They emit soft (e.g. low energy) x-rays and ultraviolet light. In essence, they are quiet and dull, which is very important for axion searches, as it makes it easier to look for small unexpected excesses of other forms of light.

’s also worth noting that the unexplained hard x-rays were definitively observed in only two of the seven neutron stars.

It is probably more probable that the hard x-rays originating from of the Magnificent Seven can be explained by a more ordinary (although still explained) astronomical phenomenon. To be sure that the axion explanation is correct, researches will have to generate and detect axions in a laboratory here on Earth. There are many ongoing experiments, ranging from ones searching for axions from space, to others trying to generate them in particle beams.

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