'Unseen forces of space': Understanding the mystery behind Boson stars
Produced by Tarun Mishra
Produced by Tarun Mishra
The night sky may harbour invisible "boson stars," made from a form of matter that doesn't emit light. These stars could be part of the universe's hidden content, potentially linked to dark matter.
Scientists believe that dark matter, which makes up about 25% of the universe's mass and energy, exists but remains undetected. Though evidence points to its existence, no direct particles have been identified yet.
For years, scientists suspected dark matter could be made up of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). However, despite extensive searches, no evidence for WIMPs has been found, suggesting a new path is needed.
Axions, a theoretical particle, were first proposed to solve a specific problem in physics related to the strong nuclear force. Their potential role in dark matter is now being explored. If they exist, axions could be a crucial part of the unseen universe.
Axions are believed to be extremely light, even lighter than neutrinos, and their quantum wave nature could stretch across entire galaxies. This could make them particularly suitable as a form of dark matter.
Axions belong to a class of particles called bosons, which can share the same quantum state. This allows them to condense into extremely high densities, forming objects known as boson stars, which are invisible and don't interact with regular matter.
While these stars are nearly impossible to detect directly, they could influence cosmic phenomena, like nuclear fusion in stars or even create "bosenovas." Their potential presence in the universe continues to intrigue researchers studying dark matter.
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