New insight into the universe’s dark matter network emerges from Yonsei University researchers
Researchers from Yonsei University in South Korea have mapped a portion of the hidden dark matter network, outlining a colossal structure that spans the cosmos. Their findings appear in Nature Astronomy.
The team conducted observations with the Subaru telescope stationed in Hawaii. Data indicate that the faint dark matter features lie roughly 321 million light-years away, within the Coma galaxy cluster, a prominent collection of galaxies often referred to as the Coma cluster.
The Coma Cluster stands as one of the nearest and largest galaxy clusters, a prime laboratory for tracing faint dark matter signals. Yet its proximity also presents challenges; the sheer scale of the cluster makes it tough to survey the entire dark matter scaffold in one sweep.
By carefully analyzing signals from galaxies and the surrounding cosmic gas, the team was able to infer the presence of invisible dark matter structures. The work demonstrates how indirect observations can reveal a larger, interconnected web beyond what is visible to the eye.
Scientists describe the discovery using a simple analogy: finding a dry leaf caught in a spider’s web. At first glance, the leaf seems to float in the air, but it is tethered to an invisible network that holds it in place. This image helps convey how dark matter can sculpt the universe without emitting light.
The researchers say the results offer fresh support for the concept of a dark matter network that extends across the entire Universe, shaping the placement and motion of galaxies on grand scales.
Past studies have proposed methods to detect dark matter using satellite observations, but this new work adds a complementary perspective by tracing the scaffolding through which galaxies and gas appear to be connected.