Dark Matter:- Elusive….Not for long!
Why “Dark” matter?
It doesn’t interact with electromagnetic waves as the regular matter does. That makes it nearly impossible to detect as it does not absorb, emit or reflect light.
If we cannot detect it, how did we know it exists in the first place?
First Proposal:- The galaxies are rotating at such a high speeds that the gravity generated by our conventional matter won’t be able to hold them together. That is, the mass of these observable matter is simply not sufficient to produce enough gravitational field for holding these rotating galaxies. This excess gravity is produced by the mass of dark matter!
Now we know that it must exist. But, if it exists, how would we detect it?Since it does not fit in the electromagnetic spectrum (as it does not interact with photons), it cannot be observed easily. Gravitational Lensing is adopted for detecting it (as it interacts with gravitational field to an appreciable magnitude that it can be observed).
We have lived this long without knowing its existence. What good will it do by knowing about it?
The entire physics that we know today (classical theory, quantum theory, electromagnetic theory etc.) is built upon the foundation that lacks dark matter’s existence. If we come to know about its properties, then folks, the next generation would require a new physics book to read from. That’s right. The whole foundation would collapse and we must re-write physics from scratch. Getting to know the properties of dark Matter would allow us to perceive extra dimensions, parallel universes and many more.
