Exploring the Possibility of Directly Detecting Dark Matter through the Study of Pulsars

Tuesday - October 10 2023, 11:22 UTC - 1 year ago

A team of astrophysicists has theorized that pulsars, rapidly rotating neutron stars, could be used to detect the elusive dark matter. This could be done by tracking axions, theoretical elementary particles that may potentially constitute dark matter, near a pulsar. The team further studied the process using computational models, providing the first step forward to detecting axions directly.

Researchers have proposed a novel approach that could directly detect the elusive dark matter. This can be done by studying pulsars, rapidly rotating neutron stars. A team of astrophysicists from the universities of Amsterdam and Princeton has theorized tracking axions that may be present near a pulsar. Axions are theoretical elementary particles that may potentially constitute dark matter. If axions compose dark matter, then highly magnetized pulsars could cause these particles to radiate light, potentially revealing the enigmatic, hidden matter. Pulsars could be "efficient axion factories".

Dark matter remains a fundamental mystery in our understanding of the cosmos. Dark matter is thought to account for around 27 percent of the mass and energy in the universe, making it one of the most common kinds of matter in the universe. However, astronomers do not yet have direct evidence of the existence of dark matter. They have known dark matter's presence by the gravitational force it exerts on other astronomical objects.

Axions can be one potential candidate to ascertain the presence of dark matter directly. Notably, axions are theorized to be produced in vast quantities across the cosmos, and some particles may be converted into light under the influence of powerful electromagnetic fields. Hence, the most promising locations to search for these particles are regions with the most intense electric and magnetic fields, such as pulsars. Pulsars have a mass similar to our Sun, but their radius is noted to be much smaller, around 100,000 times smaller. Due to their compact size, pulsars rotate at extremely high speeds, emitting intense, narrow beams of radio radiation along their rotational axis. This rapid rotation transforms the neutron star into an exceptionally powerful electromagnet. Scientists state that pulsars could be "efficient axion factories." .

"Every single second an average pulsar would be capable of producing a 50-digit number of axions. Because of the strong electromagnetic field around the pulsar, a fraction of these axions could convert into observable light," noted the official release.

The study is just the first step toward the detection of axions. However, the observation is, of course, more complex than theory. The light released by axions would constitute a tiny component of the overall radiation generated by these highly bright pulsars. This light could be detected in radio waves. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of this entire process, the team took the help of computational models.

The team first created a comprehensive theoretical framework that helps explain the formation of axions, including their escape from the gravitational pull of neutron stars and the process by which they transition into low-energy radio waves during their escape. The theoretical considerations were then incorporated into computer models that used advanced numerical plasma simulations to mimic the creation of axions near pulsars. The transit of axions via the neutron star's electromagnetic fields was studied in this simulation. "This allowed the researchers to quantitatively understand the supersonic dynamics of the axions and plasmas that surrounded the neutron stars, all in an effort to understand the new sources of radio waves that could be produced," the official release added.