Antimatter Mystery Likely Due To Pulsars, Not Dark Matter
“Whenever there's an unexplained phenomenon that we've measured or observed, it presents a tantalizing possibility to scientists: that perhaps there's something new at play beyond what's presently known. We know there are mysteries about our Universe that require new physics at some level — mysteries like dark matter, dark energy, or the cosmic matter-antimatter asymmetry — whose ultimate solution has yet to be discovered.
However, we cannot claim evidence for a new discovery until everything that represents what's already known is quantified and accounted for. By factoring in the effect of pulsars, the positron excess observed by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer collaboration may turn out to be explicable entirely by conventional high-energy astrophysics, with no need for dark matter. Right now, it appears that pulsars may be responsible for 100% of the observed excess, requiring scientists to go back to the drawing board for a direct signal that reveals our Universe's elusive dark matter.”
Over the past decade, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment aboard the International Space Station has taken the best-ever measurements of cosmic rays directly from space. One of the surprises they saw was an excess of positrons, the antimatter counterpart of electrons, in unexpectedly large abundances at high energies. It offered a tantalizing possibility that, just perhaps, dark matter might be the culprit in this cosmic mystery.
However, a new study offers evidence that a much more mundane explanation, pulsars, might be the cause instead. Come get the full story today.
