The source of radiation at the center of the galaxy may be dark matter.
Scientists have detected unusual gamma radiation at the center of our galaxy. Experts believe it may be caused by the collision of dark matter particles. A study published in Physical Review Letters (PRL) showed that the mysterious glow — the so-called gamma excess of the Galactic center — cannot be explained solely by pulsars, as previously thought.
An international team of astronomers led by Mauritz Muru from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics used supercomputer models to examine the shape and distribution of dark matter in the Milky Way. The modeling revealed that its halo at the center of the Galaxy is slightly flattened rather than perfectly round, and it is this shape that creates the glow observed by telescopes. This similarity prompted scientists to suggest that the source of the gamma radiation may be the annihilation of dark matter particles.
Researchers note that it cannot yet be definitively stated that the source of the radiation is dark matter, but the likelihood of this is increasing. New telescopes, such as the Cherenkov Telescope Array, are expected to help test this hypothesis. Scientists may, for the first time, see how dark matter manifests itself in the universe.
