A new study suggests that dark matter, one of the universe’s greatest mysteries, may have originate in a separate event known as a “Dark Big Bang.” The idea was initially propose in 2023 by Katherine Freese, Director of the Texas Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, and Martin Wolfgang Winkler, University of Texas.
This theory challenges the traditional understanding that all matter and energy were create simultaneously during the Big Bang.
As per reports, researchers from Colgate University have expand on this theory, proposing new scenarios for such an event and how evidence might be uncover.
In a study publish in Physical Review D, researchers Cosmin Ilie, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and Richard Casey, Colgate University scientist, outline the potential mechanisms of a Dark Big Bang.
It has also suggest that this event may have occur up to one year after the Big Bang, introducing dark matter into the cosmos.
Cosmin Ilie explaine that their work highlights a broader range of possibilities than previously consider, making the theory more plausible.
The concept diverges from the prevailing notion that dark and ordinary matter share a common origin.
As this idea adheres to Occam’s Razor, favouring the simplest explanation, Cosmin Ilie point out that the universe does not necessarily align with human preferences for simplicity.
Detecting evidence of a Dark Big Bang can involve identifying gravitational waves, faint ripples in spacetime first predicted by Albert Einstein.
As per Cosmin Ilie, such waves might be observable through ongoing initiatives like the International Pulsar Timing Array and the Square Kilometre Array.
Richard Casey said that the Dark Big Bang theory can also reveal a unique “Dark Sector” with its own particles and interactions, distinct from known physics.
This approach might redefine how dark matter and ordinary matter relate, potentially bridging gaps in current scientific understanding.
Researchers emphasise that this work establishes a foundation for future exploration, aiming to confirm or constrain the Dark Big Bang’s role in the creation of dark matter.
