Dwarf galaxies break the laws of physics
Newton’s theory of gravitation may have to be modified after a team of astrophysicists discovered that satellite galaxies bordering the Milky Way are breaking the laws of physics.
The researchers, including Dr Helmut Jerjen of the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, studied dwarf galaxy companions to the Milky Way and found a number of problems with conventional explanations of their behaviour. The issues they found; the relative scarcity of the satellite galaxies, the distribution, rotation and make up of the systems, suggest that in space, the fundamental principles of physics have been misunderstood.
Photograph by Mischa Schirmer, University of Bonn.
“Our studies of satellite galaxies have revealed some astonishing phenomena,” said Dr Jerjen. “First of all, there is something wrong about their distribution. Standard Cold Dark Matter theory tells us the satellites should be uniformly arranged around their mother galaxy, but this is not what we see. In fact, they all lie more or less in the same plane – they are forming some sort of disc in the sky.”
The research team has also been able to show that the satellite galaxies rotate in the same direction around the Milky Way – like the planets revolve around the sun. The researchers say this can only be explained if the satellites were created a long time ago through collisions between younger galaxies.
“But there is a catch to this picture. Theoretical calculations tell us that such tidal satellites created cannot contain any dark matter. This stands in contradiction to another observation – that the stars in these satellites are moving much faster than predicted by Gravitational Law. If classical physics holds it must be attributed to the presence of dark matter,” said Dr Jerjen.
This contradiction has lead the research team of astrophysicists from ANU and the Universities of Bonn and Vienna to the conclusion that when it comes to satellite galaxies the fundamental principles of physics have been misunderstood.
“A possible solution to this contradiction would be to reject Newton’s classical theory of gravitation. We might live in a non-Newton universe. And if this is true, then our observations could be explained without dark matter. This conclusion has far-reaching consequences for fundamental physics and for cosmological theories,” he said. “The Stromlo Missing Satellites Survey project at ANU will perform crucial tests to verify this subtle hint nature threw at us.”
It would not be the first time that Newton’s theory of gravitation has needed to be modified over the last century. It has previously happened three times; when high velocities are involved (Special Theory of Relativity), in the proximity of large masses (theory of General Relativity) and on sub-atomic scales (through quantum mechanics). The research team’s findings have been published in two papers this month in The Astrophysical Journal and the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Contact: Dr Helmut Jerjen – (02) 6125 8038 Martyn Pearce, ANU Media Office – (02) 6125 5575 / 0416 249 245
Source: The Australian National University
( ok, now we need to check these informations facing our models)