the

close
Loading Image...
ScienceDaily: Your source for the latest research news and science breakthroughs -- updated daily
Science News
Share Blog Cite
Print Email Bookmark
Size Of A Galaxy Can Be Determined By Its Dark Matter, Physicists And Mathematicians Show

ScienceDaily (June 10, 2009) — Dark matter is an enigmatic energy that makes up most of the mass in the Universe, whose nature has not yet been identified. Researchers have succeeded in estimating the percentage of dark matter in the Universe and describing the processes related to the very existence of this matter. But, until now, no one has established the distribution and behavior of the dark matter in a galaxy.
See also:
Space & Time

* Dark Matter
* Astrophysics
* Astronomy

Computers & Math

* Mathematics
* Computer Modeling
* Mathematical Modeling

Reference

* Galaxy formation and evolution
* Large-scale structure of the cosmos
* Shape of the Universe
* Astrophysics

Now, astronomers in the Theoretical Physics and Cosmos Department of the University of Granada, led by Eduardo Battaner, in collaboration with researchers in the Applied Mathematics Department, have made great progress: establishing the distribution and behaviour of the dark matter in a galaxy.

New mathematical calculations on the dark matter describe the density profiles which define how the dark matter changes in a galaxy. This had not been specified in the astronomy field yet. Until now, the behaviour of the dark matter had been estimated through simulations, but the new mathematical description approach based on equations and functions which describe each characteristic of the dark matter make this result much more reliable.

Specifically this new discovery allows a better understanding of the actual size of a galaxy. The collaboration of astronomers and mathematicians has allowed the developing of the density function of dark matter in a galaxy, describing how the dark matter is arranged from the galactic centre to its outermost part. When watching a galaxy to study the dark matter, a much larger size of a galaxy can be seen compared to that identified when watching the visible radiation. At the same time, it has been concluded that the density of the dark matter in a galaxy is maximum in the centre and it gradually decreases as it gets to the outermost part, but increases considerably the total size of the galaxy. This finding introduces new criteria into the study of galactic dynamics and, of course, of the dark matter.

Dark matter is a main component of the Universe, which has not yet been directly observed. In fact it is the component that makes up the greatest part of the Universe mass. This concept was used for the first time by Fritz Zwicky in 1933. He deduced the existence of a considerable quantity of mass that could not be observed but had to exist as an explanation to the phenomenon of galaxy movements. Currently, the quantity of dark matter in the Universe is well known: 23% dark matter vs. just over 4% of visible matter. The rest, up to 100%, is enigmatic dark energy. Despite the fact that we know well the quantity of dark matter and its behaviour, its nature has not yet been identified. This is one of the most important challenges in cosmology.

"With these results, we cannot establish what dark matter is, but we have defined its behaviour and we have information that helps to know other characteristics like its temperature," Eduardo Battaner said with regard to the results of his research.

Starting from the wide knowledge of the group of astronomers on the dynamics of a galaxy, and applying it through the mathematical modelling knowledge, some complex descriptive functions have been developed which represent the dynamics of the dark matter. Professor Juan Soler, of the university of Granada, has been the coordinator of the research part related to the mathematical calculus.
Adapted from materials provided by Andalucía Innova, via AlphaGalileo.
Email or share this story:
| More
Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of the following formats:
APA

MLA
Andalucía Innova (2009, June 10). Size Of A Galaxy Can Be Determined By Its Dark Matter, Physicists And Mathematicians Show. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 24, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/06/090609073156.htm
enlarge

Dark matter ring. (Credit: Image courtesy of Andalucía Innova)
Ads by Google
Advertise here
Daily Science News Online
All of the news and features from the print edition of Nature online
www.Nature.com/News
Pericole sexuale
Lipsa de informare poate duce la deces. Afla mai mult!
www.informarehpv.ro
Discrete Mathematics
Distance course, no tuition fee, -study at home! University of Gävle
www.hig.se/n
Int. Diabetes Monitor
A free online review journal on trends in clinical diabetes.
InternationalDiabetesMonitor.com
Simulation Solutions
Comprehensive solutions through simulation analysis
www.NovaSim.com
Related Stories
How Fast Does Dark Matter Fall? (Oct. 1, 2006) — Dark matter is mysterious stuff. Scientists don't really know much about it at all, other than the fact that there seems to be a lot of it in the universe. Thanks to a new analysis by physicists at ... > read more
Mapping The Invisible: Dark Matter Charted Out To Five Billion Light Years (Apr. 22, 2007) — Most of the matter in the Universe is not the ordinary kind made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons, but an elusive "dark matter" detectable only from its gravity. Like a tenuous gas, dark matter ... > read more
Dark Matter Disk In Our Galaxy, Supercomputer Simulation Shows (Sep. 16, 2008) — The Milky Way contains a disk of "dark matter," according to new calculations by astronomers. They have used the results of a supercomputer simulation to deduce the presence of this ... > read more
Shining A Light On Mysterious 'Dark Matter' (Oct. 5, 2007) — We've all been taught that our bodies, the Earth and in fact all matter in the universe is composed of tiny building blocks called atoms. Now imagine if this weren't the case. This mind-bending ... > read more
Early Star Formation In The Universe Illuminated (Sep. 18, 2007) — A groundbreaking study has provided new insight into the way the first stars were formed at the start of the universe, some 13 billion years ago. Cosmologists suggest that the formation of the first ... > read more
Search ScienceDaily
Number of stories in archives: 44,032
Find with keyword(s):

Enter a keyword or phrase to search ScienceDaily's archives for related news topics,
the latest news stories, reference articles, science videos, images, and books.
Ads by Google
Advertise here
Levemir®
Info for health care professionals on Levemir® and reduced weight gain
www.NovoNordisk.com
5 Tricks to Lose Body Fat
Ab exercises don't burn body fat, but this unique method does.
TruthAboutAbs.com
"Breaking News"
Rare Herb Speeds Weight Loss. Lose 25 Pounds in 2 Weeks.
www.AppliedNutritionalResearch.com

Just In:
Lightning's Mirror Image ... Only Much Bigger
Using Light To Teach Magnets New Tricks
Microchip Does 1,000 Chemical Reactions At Once
Naming Evolution's Winners And Losers
Inner 'Fingerprint' For Personal Medical Care
Why Sleep? To Boost Efficiency, Minimize Risk
Ultrathin LEDs: New Class Of Displays
Oxycholesterol: Greatest Heart Disease Risk?
Oxycholesterol: Greatest Heart Disease Risk?
Science Video News
Black Holes Light Up
Not even light can escape a black hole's grip, but gas falling into a black hole can heat up and become an intense source of X-rays, at temperatures. ... > full story

* Astronomers Reveal First Objects In Our Universe
* Astronomers Discover Eight New Gravitational Lenses with Hubble Telescope
* Geographers Calculate Atmospheric Effects On Humans
* more science videos

Breaking News
... from NewsDaily.com

* Encyclopedia of Life grows; clues on ageing, pests
* Satellites put into orbit for Japan and Australia
* Scientists make "sugar bug" drug for bowel disease
* Gene swap experiment makes altering bugs easier
* Mercury-tainted fish found widely in U.S. streams
* more science news

In Other News ...

* Former leader Fidel Castro appears on television
* Hurricane Bill brings rain, wind to eastern Canada
* Roubini warns of double-dip recession: report
* Warner Chilcott to buy P&G unit for $3 bln: source
* Cuba publishes photo of fit-looking Fidel Castro
* EU to draft new immigration policy by October
* Afghan challenger says election "widely rigged"
* Wildfire rages near Athens, thousands flee
* more top news

Copyright Reuters 2008. See Restrictions.
Free Subscriptions
... from ScienceDaily
Get the latest science news with our free email newsletters, updated daily and weekly. Or view hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader:

* Email Newsletters
* RSS Newsfeeds

Feedback
... we want to hear from you!
Tell us what you think of the new ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions?

* Your Name:
* Your Email:
* Comments:
* Click button to submit feedback:

About This Site | Editorial Staff | Awards & Reviews | Contribute News | Advertise With Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
Copyright © 1995-2009 ScienceDaily LLC — All rights reserved — Contact: editor@sciencedaily.com

* Health & Medicine
o Allergy
o Alternative Medicine
o Bird Flu
o Birth Control
o Breast Cancer
o Cancer
o Diabetes
o Diet and Weight Loss
o Diseases and Conditions
o Fitness
o Gene Therapy
o Heart Disease
o HIV and AIDS
o Lung Cancer
o Men's Health
o Nutrition
o Obesity
o Pharmacology
o Pregnancy and Childbirth
o Sexual Health
o Skin Care
o Stem Cells
o Women's Health
o ... more topics
* Mind & Brain
o ADD and ADHD
o Addiction
o Alzheimer's
o Anxiety
o Autism
o Depression
o Gender Difference
o Headaches
o Insomnia
o Intelligence
o Language Acquisition
o Parkinson's
o Perception
o Psychology
o Relationships
o Schizophrenia
o Social Psychology
o ... more topics
* Plants & Animals
o Agriculture and Food
o Animals
o Behavior
o Biology
o Biotechnology
o Cell Biology
o Cloning
o Developmental Biology
o Dogs
o Dolphins and Whales
o Endangered Animals
o Extinction
o Frogs and Reptiles
o Genetically Modified
o Marine Biology
o Microbes and More
o Nature
o New Species
o Pests and Parasites
o Spiders
o Zoology
o ... more topics
* Earth & Climate
o Air Quality
o Climate
o Coral Reefs
o Earthquakes
o Ecology
o Environmental Science
o Geography
o Geology
o Global Warming
o Hurricanes and Cyclones
o Ice Ages
o Oceanography
o Ozone Holes
o Pollution
o Renewable Energy
o Tsunamis
o Weather
o Wildfires
o ... more topics
* Space & Time
o Astronomy
o Astrophysics
o Big Bang
o Black Holes
o Dark Matter
o ESA
o Extrasolar Planets
o Mars
o Moon
o NASA
o Pluto
o Saturn
o Solar System
o Space Missions
o Space Station
o Space Telescopes
o Stars
o Sun
o ... more topics
* Matter & Energy
o Alternative Fuels
o Aviation
o Biochemistry
o Biometric
o Chemistry
o Detectors
o Electronics
o Energy Technology
o Forensics
o Fossil Fuels
o Inorganic Chemistry
o Nanotechnology
o Organic Chemistry
o Physics
o Quantum Physics
o Solar Energy
o Technology
o Wind Energy
o ... more topics
* Computers & Math
o Artificial Intelligence
o Communications
o Computer Graphics
o Computer Modeling
o Computer Science
o Encryption
o Hacking
o Mathematics
o Quantum Computers
o Robotics
o Software
o Statistics
o Video Games
o Virtual Reality
o ... more topics
* Fossils & Ruins
o Ancient Civilizations
o Anthropology
o Archaeology
o Dinosaurs
o Early Climate
o Early Humans
o Early Mammals
o Evolution
o Human Evolution
o Lost Treasures
o Origin of Life
o Paleontology
o Tyrannosaurus Rex
o ... more topics



* News
o Front Page
o Today's Summaries
o Latest Headlines
o Search Archives
o Email Newsletters
o RSS Newsfeeds
o News Sections
o Health & Medicine
o Mind & Brain
o Plants & Animals
o Space & Time
o Earth & Climate
o Matter & Energy
o Computers & Math
o Fossils & Ruins
* Articles
o Health & Medicine
o Mind & Brain
o Plants & Animals
o Space & Time
o Earth & Climate
o Matter & Energy
o Computers & Math
o Fossils & Ruins
* Videos
o Health & Medicine
o Mind & Brain
o Plants & Animals
o Space & Time
o Earth & Climate
o Matter & Energy
o Computers & Math
o Fossils & Ruins
* Images
o Health & Medicine
o Mind & Brain
o Plants & Animals
o Space & Time
o Earth & Climate
o Matter & Energy
o Computers & Math
o Fossils & Ruins
* Books
o Health & Medicine
o Mind & Brain
o Plants & Animals
o Space & Time
o Earth & Climate
o Matter & Energy
o Computers & Math
o Fossils & Ruins

Post this page to your favorite social bookmarking site:
close

* del.icio.us
* Digg
* Furl
* Netscape
* Yahoo! My Web
* StumbleUpon
* Google Bookmarks
* Technorati
* BlinkList
* Newsvine
* ma.gnolia
* reddit
* Facebook
* Tailrank
* Slashdot
* Fark

Include this item in your blog or web site:
close

* Title:
* Link:
* Summary:
* Click button to copy above text for pasting into your site:

Cite this article in your essay, paper, or report:
close

* APA style:
* MLA style:
* Click button to copy above text for pasting into your document:

Email this page's link to a friend or colleague:
close

* To Email:
* Your Name:
* Your Email:
* cc to self

Am vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.ro Am vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.ro Am vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.ro Am vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.ro Am vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.ro Am vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.ro Am vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.ro Am vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.ro Am vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.ro Am vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.roAm vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.ro
Am vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.ro
Am vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.roAm vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.roAm vazut multe ceasuri superbe pe www.topceas.roImi doresc un HTC MagicHTC Magic