A new study reveals evidence that dark matter interacts with neutrinos, also known as "ghost particles." This finding challenges the Standard Model of cosmology, which holds that dark matter and neutrinos do not interact. Neutrinos are nearly massless, uncharged particles that pass through most matter without interaction, while dark matter, which makes up about 85% of the universe, is inferred through its gravitational effects.
Research from the University of Sheffield suggests a small momentum exchange between dark matter and neutrinos, contradicting the "lambda cold dark matter" (LCDM) model. Observations from several telescopes indicate that the current universe is less "lumpy" than predicted, hinting at this interaction’s role in cosmic structure formation.
The team plans to test these ideas using future telescopes to study the cosmic microwave background and gravitational lensing, which may reveal the distribution of normal and dark matter. Confirming this interaction could address ongoing cosmological discrepancies and guide future particle physics research. The findings were published in Nature Astronomy on January 2nd.
