Astrophysicists using NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory have looked for signs of an as-yet undetected particle predicted by string theory, a set of models intended to tie together all known forces, particles, and interactions.
Reynolds et al used Chandra to look for extraordinarily low-mass axion-like particles in the Perseus galaxy cluster, a group of galaxies located 240 million light-years away from Earth. The observation lasting over five days showed no evidence for certain axion-like particles, which some theorists think can explain dark matter. The lack of detection in these Chandra observations helps rule out some versions of string theory, a set of models intended to tie together all known forces, interactions, and particles. Image credit: NASA / CXC / University of Cambridge / Reynolds et al.
Until recently I had no idea just how much X-ray astronomers bring to the table when it comes to string theory, but we could play a major role. If these particles are eventually detected it would change physics forever, said studys lead author Dr. Christopher Reynolds, a researcher at the University of Cambridge.
The particle that Dr. Reynolds and colleagues were searching for is called an axion.
This as-yet-undetected particle should have extraordinarily low mass. Theoretical physicists do not know the precise mass range, but many theories feature axion masses ranging from about a millionth of the mass of an electron down to zero mass.
Some scientists think that axions could explain the mystery of dark matter, which accounts for the vast majority of matter in the universe.
One unusual property of this ultra-low-mass particle would be that it might sometimes convert into photons (that is, packets of light) as they pass through magnetic fields. The opposite may also hold true: photons may also be converted into axions under certain conditions.
How often this switch occurs depends on how easily they make this conversion, in other words on their convertibility.
Some scientists have proposed the existence of a broader class of ultra-low-mass particles with similar properties to axions.
Axions would have a single convertibility value at each mass, but axion-like particles would have a range of convertibility at the same mass.
While it may sound like a long shot to look for tiny particles like axions in gigantic structures like galaxy clusters, they are actually great places to look, said studys co-author Dr. David Marsh, a researcher at Stockholm University.
Galaxy clusters contain magnetic fields over giant distances, and they also often contain bright X-ray sources. Together these properties enhance the chances that conversion of axion-like particles would be detectable.
To look for signs of conversion by axion-like particles, the astrophysicists examined over five days of Chandra observations of X-rays from material falling towards the supermassive black hole in the center of NGC 1275, the central galaxy of the Perseus galaxy cluster.
They studied the Chandra spectrum, or the amount of X-ray emission observed at different energies, of this source.
The long observation and the bright X-ray source gave a spectrum with enough sensitivity to have shown distortions that scientists expected if axion-like particles were present.
The lack of detection of such distortions allowed the researchers to rule out the presence of most types of axion-like particles in the mass range their observations were sensitive to, below about a millionth of a billionth of an electrons mass.
Our research doesnt rule out the existence of these particles, but it definitely doesnt help their case, said studys co-author Dr. Helen Russell, a researcher at the University of Nottingham.
These constraints dig into the range of properties suggested by string theory, and may help string theorists weed their theories.
The results appear in the Astrophysical Journal.
_____
Christopher S. Reynolds et al. 2020. Astrophysical Limits on Very Light Axion-like Particles from Chandra Grating Spectroscopy of NGC 1275. ApJ 890, 59; doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab6a0c
View original post here:
Astrophysicists Perform Test of String Theory | Astronomy - Sci-News.com
- Students, teachers craft software to make astronomy accessible to the blind - UChicago News [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- [ 3 May 2017 ] NASA probe finds Saturn ring gap emptier than predicted News - Astronomy Now Online [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- Dark matter may be fuzzier than we thought - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- How a hidden population of pulsars may leave the Milky Way aglow - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- Local astronomy club offers peek at the heavens - Scranton Times-Tribune [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- Astronomers confirm nearby star a good model of our early solar system - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- Pioneering radio astronomer Harold Weaver dies at age 99 - UC Berkeley [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- If we successfully land on Mars, could we live there? - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2017]
- Arizona Technology Council and Arizona Astronomy Consortium ... - Yahoo Finance [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2017]
- Hubble images the distant universe through a cosmic lens - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2017]
- Everybody in the lab gettin' TIPSI: NAU astronomy students build camera to track asteroids - NAU News [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2017]
- Bad Astronomy - : Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: May 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 4th, 2017]
- Scientists found a wave of ultra hot gas bigger than the Milky Way - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2017]
- Cassini encounters the 'Big Empty' during its first dive - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2017]
- Harold F. Weaver, pioneer of radio astronomy at UC Berkeley, dies - mySanAntonio.com [Last Updated On: May 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2017]
- How to See Jupiter by Day and its Moons by Night using Mobile Astronomy Apps - Space.com [Last Updated On: May 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2017]
- Astronomy Picture of the Day [Last Updated On: May 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 6th, 2017]
- Final MTSU Star Party of the semester hosted by physics, astronomy departments - Sidelines Online (subscription) [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2017]
- Harold F. Weaver, pioneer of radio astronomy at UC Berkeley, dies - SFGate [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2017]
- Astronomy - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2017]
- Rosliston Astronomy Group is asking shoppers to vote for them to win Tesco Bags of Help cash - Burton Mail [Last Updated On: May 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 9th, 2017]
- UW astronomy expert brings eclipse lessons - Gillette News Record [Last Updated On: May 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 9th, 2017]
- Comet 67P is making its own oxygen gas - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 9th, 2017]
- Graduating UI senior takes 'roundabout' journey to astronomy - Iowa Now [Last Updated On: May 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 9th, 2017]
- Merging galaxies wrap their black holes in dusty shrouds ... - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- [ 9 May 2017 ] Surprise! When a brown dwarf is actually a planetary mass object News - Astronomy Now Online [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- The newest big thing in radio astronomy - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- [ 10 May 2017 ] Waves of lava seen in Io's largest volcanic crater News - Astronomy Now Online [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- The wild wild worlds: a guide to the weirdest planets in the Milky Way - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- Australian astronomy one of few winners in new budget | Science ... - Science Magazine [Last Updated On: May 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 11th, 2017]
- BC-RNS-VATICAN-ASTRONOMY - Colorado Springs Gazette [Last Updated On: May 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 13th, 2017]
- With eclipse coming, library sets up astronomy series - Glens Falls Post-Star [Last Updated On: May 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 13th, 2017]
- Observatories combine to crack open the Crab Nebula - Astronomy Now Online [Last Updated On: May 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 13th, 2017]
- A new hot Neptune may be a massive water world - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 13th, 2017]
- Chandra spots a recoiling black hole - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 13th, 2017]
- Astronomy club hosts Safe Schools members and mentees at fundraiser - Herald and News [Last Updated On: May 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 14th, 2017]
- Astronomy on Tap just one of the fun Tuesday things to do - Austin American-Statesman [Last Updated On: May 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 17th, 2017]
- Citizen scientists are invited to help find supernovae - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 17th, 2017]
- Assoc. astronomy professor named new director of Echols Scholars Program - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily [Last Updated On: May 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 17th, 2017]
- Music, astronomy collide at multimedia Bienen performance - The Daily Northwestern [Last Updated On: May 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 17th, 2017]
- What's Going on August 21st | Astronomy.com - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 17th, 2017]
- Astronomers claim first evidence of PARALLEL UNIVERSE - 'there could be BILLIONS more' - Express.co.uk [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- Could the Closest Extrasolar Planet Be Habitable? Astronomers Plan to Find Out - Universe Today [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- [ 18 May 2017 ] Hubble spots moon around third largest dwarf planet News - Astronomy Now Online [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- See a moving global view of Ceres at opposition - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- Fireworks Galaxy sets off its 10th supernova in a century - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- NASA invites scientists to submit ides for Europa lander - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- Don't miss Jupiter's moons and Great Red Spot during May - Astronomy Now Online [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2017]
- Researchers find a tiny moon around a large unnamed dwarf planet - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2017]
- [ 19 May 2017 ] Icy ring around Fomalhaut observed in new wavelength News - Astronomy Now Online [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2017]
- The weird star that totally isn't aliens is dimming again | Astronomy ... - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2017]
- Astronomers create the largest map of the universe | Astronomy.com - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2017]
- Astronomy: HoLiCOW! Measuring speed of universe expansion is no easy task - The Columbus Dispatch [Last Updated On: May 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 22nd, 2017]
- Dr. Rangi Mtmua hopes to revive Mori astronomy - Mori Television [Last Updated On: May 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 22nd, 2017]
- Astrofest teaches about astronomy and physics - Universe.byu.edu [Last Updated On: May 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 23rd, 2017]
- Bad Astronomy | Astronomers find a moon for a distant, frigid world ... - Blastr [Last Updated On: May 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 23rd, 2017]
- Merging white dwarfs may create most of our galaxy's antimatter ... - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 23rd, 2017]
- Astronomers know TRAPPIST-1h's orbit - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 23rd, 2017]
- A familiar galaxy with a new surprise: Two supermassive black holes - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 23rd, 2017]
- Astronomers Spot Bright New Object near Cygnus A Galaxy's ... - Sci-News.com [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Volunteers help astronomers find star that exploded 970 million ... - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Rocketing off to (cyber) space - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Mice born from freeze-dried space sperm are doing OK - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- NASA's mission to a planetary core has been moved up - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Astronomy: An all-American eclipse : Nature : Nature Research - Nature.com [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- 25 things to bring to the eclipse | Astronomy.com - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- A star turned into a black hole before Hubble's very eyes - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Astronomy r/Astronomy - reddit.com [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Astronomy News & Current Events | Sky & Telescope [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- Astronomy (magazine) - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: May 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 26th, 2017]
- [ 27 May 2017 ] Jupiter surprises in first trove of data from NASA's Juno mission News - Astronomy Now Online [Last Updated On: May 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 28th, 2017]
- Juno results offer tantalizing hints of Jupiter's secrets - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 28th, 2017]
- Study: Female Astronomers are Cited Less Frequently - The Atlantic - The Atlantic [Last Updated On: May 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 28th, 2017]
- Astronomy Guide to the rest of the Memorial Day Weekend - AccuWeather.com (blog) [Last Updated On: May 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 28th, 2017]
- The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was hit by a meteoroid and lived - Astronomy Magazine [Last Updated On: May 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 30th, 2017]
- Predicting eclipse crowds: More astrology than astronomy - Bend Bulletin [Last Updated On: May 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 30th, 2017]
- Artist's Stunning New Exhibit Celebrates Harvard's 'Hidden' Female Astronomers - Space.com [Last Updated On: May 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 30th, 2017]
- Astronomy tour to visit several SWI libraries next week - The Daily Nonpareil [Last Updated On: May 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 30th, 2017]
- South Africa participates in international astronomy programme - Creamer Media's Engineering News [Last Updated On: May 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 30th, 2017]
- Space geeks: Astronomy Night on the Mall is Friday and it's free - Washington Post [Last Updated On: May 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 30th, 2017]