Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) and Caltech, for the first time, detected the universe’s missing ordinary matter using powerful cosmic signals known as Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs).
- Previously, scientists have known that at least half of the universe's ordinary, or baryonic matter was unaccounted for.
Distribution of Ordinary Matter Across the Universe
- 76% in intergalactic medium (IGM) (the thin gas between galaxies).
- 15% in galaxy halos (outer regions surrounding galaxies)
- 9% within galaxies (consist of stars, planets, and vast clouds of gas and dust, all bound together by gravity).
About Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs)
- Definition: FRBs are blasts of electromagnetic radiation in the form of radio waves usually emanating from galaxies beyond our own.
- FRBs have durations ranging from milliseconds to just a few seconds.
How Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) Helped Solve the Mystery?
- FRBs acted as "cosmic flashlights". As FRBs travel through space, they:
- Disperse into different wavelengths, like a prism spreading sunlight.
- The degree of dispersion reveals the amount of matter in their path.
- FRBs provided the first direct measurement of matter distribution across the cosmic web & established themselves as a reliable cosmological probe.
Ordinary Matter (baryonic matter) Vs. Dark Matter
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