Neutron Star Experiment May Test Hypothetical Fifth Force Between Normal Matter And Dark Matter

19 June 2018, 10:25 pm EDT By Allan Adamson Tech Times



A fifth force may pull or push standard matter away from dark matter. Astronomers from Max Planck
Institute for Radio Astronomy said that binary pulsars provide a new way of testing this hypothetical
force. Image shows a neutron star.

( X-ray (NASA/CXC/ESO/F.Vogt et al); Optical (ESO/VLT/MUSE & NASA/STScI) )


Astronomers have proposed a new experiment that involves the use of super-dense stars to study how dark matter interacts with standard matter.

Dark Matter
Dark matter has not yet been observed directly but its presence is inferred from astronomical observations. It is theorized that dark matter accounts for about 80 percent of the matter in the universe but its actual nature remains a mystery.

Scientists have been studying galaxies without dark matter to better understand this mysterious entity. Besides questions on the true nature of dark matter, there are also questions regarding a hypothetical force between normal and dark matter.

Fifth Force
Astronomers want to know if there is another force that pulls or pushes standard matter away from dark matter. This hypothetical force is sometimes called the fifth force.

More:
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/230604/20180619/neutron-star-experiment-may-test-hypothetical-fifth-force-between-normal-matter-and-dark-matter.htm