Student:

Tutor:

Subject:

Date:

Dark matter and antimatter

The need to study the universe has led to significant scientific research dating back from the Ancient Greeks to today’s physicists. The composition of the universe is a controversial question which has resulted in the need for serious research. Some of the theories describing the universe as simple and just composed of the visible things have been proved otherwise by recent studies. Today, physicists are building their work based on some of the background research made several decades by scientists such as Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton.

Recent studies have proven that the ordinary matter which is mainly composed of visible things such as galaxies makes only a small percentage of the universe while a quarter of the universe is made up of dark matter. The remaining part of the universe is composed of substances which are referred to as the dark energy. Several discoveries have proved the possibility of the research. For instance, a close study of the galaxy and the movement of stars have shown a possible existence of the dark matter as well as dark energy.

Using techniques based on the principles used by Newton, astronomers had the ability to predict the movement of the stars regarding speed based on the distance from the center of the galaxy. The prediction of the stars far from the center of the slow galaxy movement contradicted the observations made. Instead, the stars were studied to move too fast.  In their videos, Patricia Burchat and Don Lincoln concluded that the dynamics of the galaxy are dominated by a cloud of dark matter. This conclusion is based on the argument that the movement of the stars is influenced by the gravitational forces of unseen matter. According to James Gillies, the visible matter in the galaxies cannot provide gravity which can hold the individual galaxies together. The dark matter has therefore been proven to influence the gravitational forces in the galaxies affecting the movement of the stars against the earlier hypothesized movement.

Research also shows the possibility of the existence of more mass that exceeds the mass of the visible galaxies. According to Burchat, the electromagnetic spectrum demonstrates the existence of around ten time’s mass of the visible mass which proves that the dark matter exists and contribute to the unaccounted mass. The supersymmetry theory predicts that there exist new particles most of which are thought to make the dark matter.

The dark energy, according to discoveries, could be the major factor behind the rapid expansion of the space. Experiments conducted by astronomers and physicists measuring the rate of the enlargement of the space showed that space is expanding at a very fast rate than any other time before. The dark matter together with the dark energy has much influence on the forming of the expanding structure. The change is due to the gravitational attractions created by the dark matter that contributes to the formation of clusters of galaxies while the dark energy forms spaces between galaxies.

Finally, the creation of matter from energy also led to the equal proportion of antimatter. Based on the argument, scientists predict the presence of antimatter in the universe since there exists matter.  However, scientific studies and observations prove that in the visible universe, there is no antimatter. There is a higher chance that the dark matter contains the unobserved antimatter. The upward movement of the antihydrogen atom in the animated video by Chloe Malbrunot tries to show the presence and effect of the dark matter.

In conclusion, the video podcasts used in this discussion are demonstrating the application of technology towards discovering the unknown part of the universe. Through the use of items such as the Hubble space telescope and the cosmic microwave background as well as combining scientific theories, the physicists have been able to prove the possibility of the existence of the dark matter.  Understanding the hidden part of the universe will be a great milestone towards the advancement of the knowledge of our world.

Works Cited

Summarized video podcasts:

https://ed.ted.com/on/MBrtYZjZ
https://ed.ted.com/on/gf39qTrm
https://ed.ted.com/on/pIQz349j
https://ed.ted.com/on/B8sG31L6
https://ed.ted.com/on/0NJIXh1d

This entry was posted on February 1, 2018 at 1:24 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.