Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.
Scientists posit that some dead stars made from the densest material in the known universe, so-called"neutron stars," could act as traps for dark matter particles that smash together at high speeds and annihilate one another. In turn, the crew says, the annihilation process likely heats the dead stars from the inside out.
Crushing a mass equivalent to over half a million Earths into a body that could sit within the city limits of Chicago naturally has an extreme effect on the matter of that stellar core. It forces, which are particles only normally found at the hearts of atoms. This sea of neutrons that makes up a neutron star is so dense that if a mere tablespoon of it were brought to Earth, it would weigh over 1 billion tons. That's about the same weight as Mount Everest.
"In the lab, we are looking for collisions between dark matter particles and atomic nuclei," she said."But if that can occur, then dark matter must also be able to collide with the neutrons and protons in neutron stars.
This investigation revealed that a dark-matter-saturated neutron star could reach thermal equilibrium in a period no longer than 10,000 years, and as short as one year, depending on the model used. In cosmic terms, this is a mere blink of an eye.
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