Using Nature's Cosmic Telescopes to Unveil Dark Matter
Amruth Alfred
This session was recorded but consent to publication from the presenter has not yet been received.
About the talk
The mystery of dark matter is a topic of great concern among cosmologists because dark matter, as evidenced by observations, comprises about 24% of the matter in the universe… We simply do not know what dark matter is, though there is no end of speculation. Neither the Standard Model of Cosmology nor the Standard Model of Quantum Physics provide any insights into dark matter.
Amruth's recent work, described by HKU: a team of astrophysicists led by Alfred Amruth, collaborating with Nobel Laureate George Smoot (HKUST) and Dr. Razieh Emami (Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian), “has provided the most direct evidence yet that Dark Matter does not constitute ultramassive particles as is commonly thought, but instead comprises particles so light that they travel through space like waves” — resolving a two-decade-old problem in how gravitationally lensed images are predicted. The findings were published in Nature Astronomy and featured on the cover of Nature Astronomy's June 2023 issue.
Ray, from his conversation with Amruth before the session: “He told me a couple of amazing details about gravitational lensing… Einstein first predicted gravitational lensing about 1936 but doubted it could ever be observed. It is now commonly used to observe distant objects — the light from objects behind the ‘lens’ can be amplified up to 1,000,000 times depending on the mass of the lens. The lenses are currently identified by human eye — there are millions of galaxies, so this is a difficult and time-consuming task. Amruth will tell us about future use of AI for this.” On the day of the session, Amruth also added his TED-talk topic on humanity's search for extraterrestrial intelligence to the agenda.
About the speaker
A Ph.D. at the University of Hong Kong and winner of the 2023 Hong Kong Young Scientist Award, given to the best Ph.D. research in physics, chemistry and math. Both a theoretical and experimental astronomer, he develops theory, writes his own supercomputer software to make predictions, and tests them against observation. Deeply committed to bringing cosmology to the general public, he once taught special relativity to a group of non-scientists in Hong Kong. He was recommended to Science Plus by Bos Smith, a regular attendee.
We are always looking for recommendations for and introductions to presenters who will appeal to the Science Plus audience. Please send to Ray Schachter at Schachter.ray@gmail.com.