Scientists have long been puzzled by a mysterious glow near the center of the Milky Way galaxy, known as the Galactic Center Excess. Recent simulations suggest that dark matter may be behind this phenomenon, rather than pulsars, which were previously thought to be the culprit. The new study, published in Physical Review Letters, uses sophisticated computer simulations to model how dark matter is distributed across the galaxy and finds that it produces a flattened shape, similar to the galaxy’s old stellar bulge structure.
The researchers argue that this finding increases the odds of detecting dark matter indirectly, as the gamma-ray data from the Galactic Center Excess can be explained by colliding dark matter particles rather than decaying stars. However, pulsars still offer a glimmer of hope, as they could potentially mimic the dark matter annihilation signature.
The next generation of observatories, including the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) and the Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory, will be crucial in sorting out the dark matter versus pulsar hypotheses. If these devices record a cut-off of sharp energy, it would be a “smoking gun” for dark matter annihilation.
The research has significant implications, as it could provide tangible evidence of dark matter, reshaping our understanding of physics, cosmology, and galaxy formation.
Source: https://www.thebrighterside.news/post/pulsars-or-dark-matter-the-milky-ways-central-glow-just-got-more-puzzling