gravitonThis means that virtual particles may be cosmic fugitives from “extra” dimensions.

“Massive gravitons are created by collisions of ordinary particles in the early universe,” said co-author of the study. “This process was thought to be too rare for massive particles to be candidates for dark matter.” Giacomo Cacciagliaa physicist at the University of Lyon, France.

According to recent calculations, enough gravitons may have formed in the early universe to explain existence dark matter.

virtual particles mass less than 1 megaelectronvolt (MeV), so no more than twice the mass of the electron alone (bulk mass 9,109 × 10-31kg). This mass level is much lower than the scale it is on Higgs boson Generates mass for ordinary matter.

Scientists ‘discovered’ gravitons while searching for evidence The presence of additional dimensionswhich can theoretically exist alongside the three known spatial dimensions (length, width, and height) and time.

In this theory, when gravity propagates through additional dimensions and embodied in our universe as huge gravitons.

However, these particles It will react poorly with ordinary matter And only the force of gravity. This is similar to what we know about dark matter, which does not interact with light but does influence gravity. This effect, among other things, prevents galaxies from collapsing.

The research team found this in the first picosecond (one trillionth of a second) after the great explosion, more gravitons will be produced than previous theories suggested. The new appearance is already enough for massive particles to fully explain the amount of dark matter in them Universe.

The search results are published in Physical Review Letters.

See also  The Zhurong rover has discovered new facts about water on Mars