Neutron stars could be the ultimate dark matter detectors

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Neutron stars are so dense that they may be able to trap all dark matter particles that pass through them

Here’s how neutron stars may detect dark matter: 

  1. Dark matter particles collide with neutrons in the star. 
  2. The dark matter particles lose energy and become gravitationally trapped. 
  3. The dark matter accumulates due to the star’s gravity. 
  4. The kinetic energy of the captured dark matter heats up the neutron stars. 
  5. The temperature of some older neutron stars can increase by an order of magnitude. 
  6. The increased temperature could be potentially detected by infrared telescopes such as the James Webb Telescope. 

Over millions of years, a substantial amount of dark matter can pile up inside neutron stars. The high density of dark matter is susceptible to annihilation, in which two dark matter particles interact and destroy each other.

Their densities are so high that they are essentially mile-wide atomic nuclei. If they were any denser, they would simply collapse into black holes. The density of a neutron star is key to its use as a dark matter detector

Yes, the density of a neutron star is key to its use as a dark matter detector

Neutron stars are the dense remnants of massive stars that have exploded as supernovae. They are very small, perhaps a dozen kilometers across, but with masses greater than the Sun. One teaspoon of neutron star material has a mass of about a billion tons

Neutron stars are so dense that they may be able to trap all dark matter particles that pass through them. Dark matter interacts only very weakly with ordinary matter. For example, it can pass through a light-year of lead (about 10 trillion kilometers) without being stopped. 

Neutron stars can be used as “cosmic laboratories” to detect dark matter. They enable us to study how dark matter behaves under extreme conditions that cannot be replicated on Earth

Neutron stars can capture dark matter through scattering. This process transfers kinetic energy from the dark matter to the star. Over millions of years, a significant amount of dark matter can accumulate inside neutron stars

Dark matter is a substance that interacts with visible matter, like stars and planets, primarily through gravity. It can be made up of standard baryonic matter, such as protons or neutrons. 

The matter inside neutron stars is made up almost entirely of neutrons. The intense pressures force protons and electrons together to create these neutral particles

It’s unlikely that dark matter is made of neutrons

Neutrons are unstable and decay into protons, electrons, and anti-neutrinos after about 15 minutes. Three neutrons bound together would also be unstable, with two of the neutrons decaying into protons. 

Neutrons are also not dark. They interact with other particles through the strong and weak forces, and weakly through electromagnetism. Dark matter and dark energy, on the other hand, don’t interact with normal matter at all, or only very weakly. 

Most astronomers believe that dark matter is made up of exotic particles that have not been detected on Earth. The leading candidate for dark matter is called a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle, or WIMP.

Dark matter can refer to any substance which interacts predominantly via gravity with visible matter (e.g., stars and planets). Hence in principle it need not be composed of a new type of fundamental particle but could, at least in part, be made up of standard baryonic matter, such as protons or neutrons

Dark matter candidates can be baryonic, non-baryonic, or a mixture of both. The non-baryonic forms are usually subdivided into two classes: Hot Dark Matter (HDM) and Cold Dark Matter (CDM

Here are some possible dark matter particles: 

  • WIMPs: Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, which could have 1 to 1,000 times more mass than a proton. 
  • Axions: A particle ten-trillionth of the mass of an electron. 
  • D-star hexaquark: A particle hypothesized to consist of three up and three down quarks. 

Other possible dark matter particles include: 

  • Sterile neutrinos 
  • Supersymmetric particles 
  • Atomic dark matter 
  • Geons 
  • Primordial black holes 

Dark matter is material that cannot be seen directly. We know that dark matter exists because of the effect it has on objects that we can observe directly.

The evidence for the existence of dark matter through its gravitational impact is clear in astronomical observations—from the early observations of the large motions of galaxies in clusters and the motions of stars and gas in galaxies, to observations of the large-scale structure in the universe, gravitational lensing, …

Yes, neutron stars can capture dark matter through scattering

In scattering, moving particles or radiation are forced to deviate from a straight trajectory. This can happen when non-uniformities in the medium force the particles or radiation to deviate. 

When a neutron star captures dark matter through scattering, the dark matter’s kinetic energy is transferred to the star. This can cause old neutron stars to warm up to near-infrared temperatures. 

Dark matter can efficiently be captured by a neutron star if it has a sizable scattering cross section with nucleons. The dark matter’s energy is then transferred to the neutron star as heat through the scattering and annihilation inside the star. 

Neutron stars are the last stage in a star’s lifecycle. They form when the central part of a massive star collapses, crushing the atoms and jamming the electrons inside the protons

If dark matter has a sizable scattering cross section with nucleons, it can efficiently be captured by a neutron star. Its energy is then transferred to the neutron star as heat through the scattering and annihilation inside the star.

Yes, dark matter can be captured by a neutron star if it has a large scattering cross section with nucleons

The neutron star’s gravitational effect keeps the dark matter inside the star, where it eventually thermalizes. The dark matter’s energy is then transferred to the neutron star as heat through the scattering and annihilation inside the star. 

Dark matter can be captured by neutron stars through collisions with strongly interacting baryons or relativistic leptons. The neutron star’s sensitivity to DM-nucleon and DM-lepton scattering cross sections is much greater than that of direct detection experiments, especially for low mass DM. 

Dark matter can also be captured by celestial objects and accumulate at their centers, forming a core of dark matter. If the annihilation rate is small or zero, this core can collapse to a small black hole. If the black hole is big enough, it will grow to consume the star or planet.

Neutron stars and black holes differ in structure and behavior. 

Neutron stars are extremely dense and are supported by neutron degeneracy pressure. A neutron star’s gravity is strong enough to drive electrons into protons, but the degeneracy pressure is still enough to keep the neutrons apart

Black holes have a singularity at their center and are characterized by an event horizon.Black holes have enough gravity to overcome even that resistance, after which there is nothing to stop the collapse

Neutron stars are formed when the mass of a star is less than 3 times of the sun’s mass. A black hole is formed when the mass of the sun is greater than 3 times of the sun. 

Astronomers consider the mass of a neutron star to range from 1.4 to 2.9 solar masses. If the collapsed core has more than three solar masses it becomes a black hole.

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