MIT Flags 1 of 28 Gravitational-Wave Signals as Dark Matter Candidate
Updated
Updated · Universe Today · May 15
MIT Flags 1 of 28 Gravitational-Wave Signals as Dark Matter Candidate
5 articles · Updated · Universe Today · May 15
GW190728 stood out in MIT’s screen of 28 black-hole merger signals, showing a waveform pattern consistent with a dark-matter cloud around one of the merging objects.
The team built a model based on superradiance, in which ultralight dark-matter waves extract spin energy from a fast-rotating black hole and grow dense enough to alter the merger signal.
Twenty-seven other events from LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA’s first three observing runs matched ordinary vacuum mergers, leaving GW190728 as the only candidate imprint in the sample.
MIT stopped short of calling it a detection, but said it is the first gravitational-wave event flagged as a dark-matter candidate using a physically grounded template.
LIGO’s fourth and fifth runs are producing detections at a faster pace, giving researchers many more chances to test whether similar fingerprints recur.
A gravitational wave hinted at dark matter. Could black hole collisions finally unveil the universe's biggest mystery?
If black holes can trap and reveal dark matter, what other secrets of the universe might they be hiding?
GW190728 Gravitational Wave Event Shows Potential Dark Matter Signature, MIT-Led Study Finds
Overview
Physicists from MIT and Europe have developed a novel computational method that uses gravitational waves to detect dark matter. This approach predicts that when two black holes merge while spiraling through dark matter, the gravitational waves they emit carry unique imprints caused by interactions like superradiance. These imprints can be detected by gravitational wave observatories, turning them into indirect dark matter detectors. The method opens a new frontier in cosmic detection, offering scientists a powerful tool to search for dark matter by analyzing subtle changes in gravitational wave signals from black hole mergers.