Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research have made an important discovery related to the characteristics of the mysterious dark matter, which makes up about a quarter of the mass of the Universe. In their work, the scientists suggested that too massive dark matter would make it impossible for the interactions of particles that underlie the structure and evolution of the Universe. The results of their study were published on the arXiv platform.

Dark matter and its mysteries

Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that explains the motions of galaxies and large-scale cosmic structures. Observations show that its gravitational influence does not correspond to the behavior of visible matter. However, direct evidence of the existence of dark matter has not yet been obtained, and all attempts to detect it in experiments have not yet been successful.

Most studies have focused on particles with masses in the range of 10 to 1000 gigaelectronvolts (GeV), which is consistent with the predictions of the Standard Model of physics. However, the new work sheds light on a possible limit on the mass of such particles.

The role of the Higgs boson

In their work, the scientists investigated the relationship between the mass of a hypothetical dark matter particle and the Higgs boson, a fundamental particle that is responsible for transferring mass to other particles. The Higgs boson has a mass of approximately 125 GeV, but it can change depending on its interactions with other particles.

The team found that if a dark matter particle had a mass greater than several thousand GeV, its influence on the Higgs boson would be too significant. This would lead to a change in the Higgs mass and violate fundamental physical interactions.

What does this mean for science?

This discovery helps to narrow the range of possible characteristics of dark matter and may explain why it has not yet been detected in experiments. Moreover, the study supports the hypothesis that axions, ultra-light hypothetical particles, may be the main candidate for the role of dark matter. Axions have long been considered by physicists as one of the most promising forms of dark matter, as their properties allow them to avoid contradictions with current observations and theories.

Conclusion

The new study not only clarifies the physical boundaries for the search for dark matter, but also confirms the key role of the Higgs boson in the formation of matter in the Universe. Thus, scientists have taken another step towards solving one of the main mysteries of modern science.