What are Dark Energy and Dark Matter?

Dark Energy and Dark Matter are unrelated except for the fact that we know they must exist, it is just we dont know what or where they are. As is shown in Figure 1, Dark Matter and Dark Energy make up the majority of the universe. Dark energy is thought to be the reason that our universe is accelerating, whereas Dark Matter is thought to make up 23% of our universe but we have no knowledge what it is exactly. This essay looks at the body of opinion which is studying the na- Figure 1: Composition of the Universe [4] ture of Dark Matter and Dark En- now and 13.7 billion years ago ergy. What is Dark Energy? The discovery that the universe is expanding at an increasing rate shocked most astronomers and physicists. It had previously been thought that as the universe expanded, it would decelerate due to an increase in matter and therefore gravity[1] . However, in 1998 the Hubble telescope made observations of Type la Supernovae, which are Supernovae that form after the explosion of a white dwarf star when it has reached critical mass, know as the Chandrasekhar limit. The Type la Supernovae have the same mass, so therefore will have the same luminosity which allows physicists to use the inverse-square 1 law ( radius2 Intensity[2] ). By working out the distance we can work out their age as we know the speed of light to be 299 792 458 ms1 . Also, redshift (the change in light wavelength caused by the emitting object moving) caused by the expanding universe can be measured to allow physicists to calculate the rate of the expansion of the universe. In the late 20th century, it was found that distant Type la Supernovae were in fact getting further away faster than expected. Thus it was proved that the expansion of the universe is accelerating [3] . We know very little about Dark Energy, except that it impacts upon the expansion of our universe, and contributes to about 72% of our universe. Most Physicists think that Dark Energy is what lls up space[1][3] . There are three main theories to explain the existence of Dark Energy. First, Albert Einstein was the rst to realise that space is not empty, it has many properties. From Einsteins theory of general relativity, Physicists predicted that space has energy, which means as the universe expands and space is created, more energy comes into existence rather than being diluted throughout space. This means the universe can accelerate. However, most physicists do not think this is right. Einstein introduced something called the cosmological constant into his theory, this allows for a static universe rather than a changing one, and sets up a contradiction[1] . Secondly, the quantum theory of matter has a dierent theory which is that space is

Dom Rowing

What are Dark Energy and Dark Matter? made of virtual particles that continually form and then disappear. The only problem with this is that when it is calculated how much energy this would produce, it is 10120 times too large[1] . Thirdly, there is another theory named by some as quintessence (after the fth element of the Greek philosophers). This states that space is lled with a dynamic eld energy of which its eect on the universe is opposite to that of normal energy and matter. However, even if this is true, we still do not know what this is, what it interacts with, or why it exists[1] . It could be however that Einsteins general relativity is incorrect and a new theory is needed. This would change physics dramatically including how matter behaved, and the expansion of the universe. Many theories have been proposed, but none are completely satisfactory[1] . What is Dark Matter? Dark Matter makes up 23% of our universe compared to normal matter which makes up only 5%. However, we dene Dark Matter by what it isnt, rather than what it is. We know that it is dark (hence the name); it does not emit light (visible, x-ray or infrared) and it is not in stars or planets which can be seen[5][1] . It cannot be in dark clouds of baryonic matter (matter made of subatomic particles called baryons), as they would absorb radiation passing through them which can be detected[1] . It is not antimatter (what is created alongside normal matter) as it would be annihilate (react with) matter. We know this because it would emit gamma radiation which could be detected[1] . It is not in the form of black holes as the high concentration of matter inside them would experience a large lensing (light bending) eect, but it has not occurred that enough lensing eect to make up the 25% Dark Matter that constitutes the universe has been observed[1] . There are a few possibilities still remaining. One is that baryonic matter could still be Dark Matter if in the form of brown dwarfs or dense chunks of heavy matter, known as MACHOs (Massive Compact Halo Objects). These are large objects made of ordinary matter that produce a large lensing eect[1][5] . However, the most widely accepted view is that Dark Matter is not baryonic, but instead made of stranger particles called WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles). These are subatomic particles that are not composed of ordinary matter, are weakly interacting so they can pass through ordinary matter, and are massive meaning that they have mass. They are thought to be in the form of Neutrinos, Axions or Neutralinos[1][5] . Uses At the moment, the concepts of Dark Energy and Dark Matter have no known benets except to better our understanding of the universe. However, that does not mean they will have no benet in the future. People once thought quantum physics was of no practical use, but now there isnt a single piece of technology being produced which doesnt somewhere make use of quantum physics.

Dom Rowing

What are Dark Energy and Dark Matter?

References 1 - NASA: Dark Energy, Dark Matter: http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/ what-is-dark-energy/ 2 - Wikipedia: Inverse-square law: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse-square_law 3 - NASA: Dark Energy: http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/mysteries_l1/ dark_energy.html 4 - NASA: 5 year mission results: http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/news/5yr_release.html 5 - NASA: Possibilities for Dark Matter: http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ teachers/galaxies/imagine/dark_matter.html 6 - Yale University: The Mysteries of Dark Energy: http://itunes.yale.edu/

Dom Rowing