Is Dark Matter Behind the Hazy Radiation at the Milky Way’s Center?

05Nov09

STRANGE HAZE: Sky maps obtained by NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope show a peculiar haze when ordinary gamma-ray sources are subtracted. (The map shown here has not been source-filtered and is presented for illustration.) NASA/DOE/INTERNATIONAL LAT TEAM

“A haze of radiation at the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy that appears in sky maps taken by two spacecraft at two different wavelengths likely results from a population of high-energy electrons, according to a new analysis of gamma rays in the galaxy. Curiously, some researchers maintain, those electrons are not readily explained by known astrophysical processes—and work is under way to determine if dark matter particles might be responsible.”

Author: John Matson for Scientific American

Is Dark Matter Behind the Hazy Radiation at the Milky Way’s Center?

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