Researchers Simulate 8 Million Universes

by Ryan Whitwam

Scientists saw the first hints of the effect dark matter has on the universe decades ago, but there’s still a great deal we don’t know about it. It’s difficult to determine the nature of dark matter interactions because we only have the one universe to observe. That’s why researchers from the University of Arizona created 8 million universes with varying conditions inside a supercomputer.

Our current understanding of the role played by dark matter is limited, but most researchers agree on the basics. After the Big Bang, the nebulous material we know as dark matter began clumping together into clouds known as dark matter haloes. Since dark matter makes up most of the matter in the universe, these haloes pulled in hydrogen atoms with the force of gravity, causing them to coalesce into the first stars. Many scientists believe that dark matter continues to form the backbone of galaxies to this day.

In an effort to learn more about the mechanisms at work, astronomer Peter Behroozi from the University of Arizona used the school’s supercomputer to play god and create millions of simulated universes. Each of the 8 million universes had a unique set of physical constants to help researchers understand how dark matter affects regular matter over time. By comparing these results to the real universe, we can learn which…