Could cause Mars to 'shake' – new insights into ancient Big Bang theory

Does the mysterious 'dark matter' consist of microscopic black holes? The research team has an idea of ​​how to measure this.

CAMBRIDGE – Dark matter makes up the majority of matter in the universe, but it remains one of the biggest mysteries in modern physics. It is invisible and can only be detected by the effect of gravity on visible matter. The exact composition of this mysterious substance is a major topic of research. Now, a new study by a research team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has revived an old theory from the 1970s and suggests that dark matter could be composed of primordial microscopic black holes that formed shortly after the Big Bang.

Black holes can regularly pass through our solar system

According to the theory, these small black holes arose from dense accumulations of gas in the early universe, and have been able to move through the universe ever since. The research team, led by physicist David Kaiser, suspects that such black holes could pass through our solar system regularly – perhaps even once every decade. Such an event could be measured, for example, when a primordial black hole passes near Mars, according to the team in one study. In the specialized magazine Physical review d published become.

A small black hole could cause Mars to wobble

It is possible for a primordial black hole – even one as small as an atom – to have the mass of a large asteroid and its gravity could also affect other celestial bodies. If such a primordial black hole passed near Mars, the research team is certain it could be detected in a small “wobble” in the red planet's orbit. “Thanks to decades of precise telemetry, scientists know the distance between Earth and Mars to within about 10 centimetres.” He explained Emperor. “We're using this highly instrumented region of space to look for a small impact.”

One of the biggest challenges is distinguishing between the effects of such flybys and those of ordinary asteroids. “We need as much clarity as possible about the expected background, such as the typical velocities and distributions of ordinary space rocks, compared to these primordial black holes,” Kaiser emphasizes. Fortunately, astronomers have been monitoring asteroids flying through the solar system for decades, the scientist says. Therefore comparative data is already available.

Is all dark matter made up of tiny black holes?

“If we see the oscillation, it will be a real reason to pursue this wonderful idea that all dark matter consists of black holes, which formed less than a second after the Big Bang and flowed through the universe for 14 billion years,” Kaiser emphasizes. Mars could reveal more about the existence of dark matter and revolutionize research in this field.

“It's a very elegant test they've proposed, and it could show us whether the next black hole is closer than we think,” comments physicist Matt Kaplan (Illinois State University), who was not involved in the study. “I must stress that there is also a bit of luck involved. Whether or not the search will find a loud and clear signal depends on the exact path taken by the wandering black hole through the solar system, the researcher stresses, noting that the hardest part is yet to come: “Now, Where once they figured that out and verified that idea with simulations, they had to do the hard part – verifying real data. (unpaid bill)