PHYSICS NEWS -

 

DARK MATTER EXPLAINED?

 

 Mysterious dark matter constitutes about 27% of the universe, while  68% is dark energy.  The rest - less than 5% -  is ordinary matter: you, your cat, and the stars.

NEW DARK MATTER THEORY - Physicists propose that dark matter could be made out of a type of basic particle called the Majorama fermion.

This proposal, which endows dark matter particles with a rare form of electromagnetism, is the work of Vanderbilt University theoretical physicists Professor Robert Scherrer and post-doctoral fellow Chiu Man Ho.

 

"There are a great many different theories about the nature of dark matter. What I like about this theory is its simplicity, uniqueness, and the fact that it can be tested," said Scherrer.

 

Scherrer and Ho have demonstrated that these particles possess a rare, donut-shaped type of electromagnetic field called an ANAPOLE, unlike the two poles (north and south, positive and negative) existing in common particles.

 

"Most models for dark matter assume that it interacts through exotic forces that we do not encounter in everyday life. Anapole dark matter makes use of ordinary electromagnetism the same we find in everyday life.  Sherrer  believes that the existence of anapole dark matter should either be discovered or ruled out by plain experiments.

READ MORE:  http://phys.org/news/2013-06-simple-theory-dark.html

RELATED:

FERMIONS are sometimes called matter particles, because they are the particles that make up most of what we think of as physical matter in our world, including protons, neutrons, and electrons.
http://physics.about.com/od/physicsetoh/g/Fermion.htm

MAJORANA FERMIONS  are a type of fermion that would be its own antiparticle. These curious particles could be useful in creating a quantum computer.
http://physics.about.com/od/physicsmtop/g/MajoranaFermions.htm

NASA on dark matter and dark energy -
http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy/

Andrew Zimmerman Jones recently discussing dark matter and dark energy on his physics blog  - http://physics.about.com/b/2013/04/13/darkstuff.htm

More articles on dark matter and dark energy on this blog:
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Dark%20Matter%20and%20Dark%20Energy