A group of researchers has discovered through the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) the existence of what until now was a hypothetical cosmic object in the distant Universe: the supermassive dark star. If its existence is confirmed, it could be a step that helps to solve physics and cosmology mysteries that have so far gone unanswered. What has been detected is the “smoking gun” of a dark star operating with a core of dark matter particles that interact with each other.
According to astrophysicist Cosmin Ilie from Colgate University in the United States, it is the first time a possible signature of a dark star has been found with light absorption at a wavelength of 1,640 Angstroms, which is directly related to dark stars, arising from individually ionized helium in their atmospheres.
Dark star
To understand the significance of the discovery made by this group of researchers, it is important to clarify terms such as ‘dark star.’ It should be noted that the name does not imply that it does not emit light. These are clouds, giant and fluffy, composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, and they behave completely differently from ordinary stars. Unlike the Sun, which is powered by nuclear fusion, dark stars operate with a core of dark matter particles that self-annihilate, meaning that they interact with each other.
According to astrophysicist Cosmin Ilie from Colgate University in the U.S., “Supermassive dark stars are extremely bright, gigantic, and fluffy clouds composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, which resist gravitational collapse thanks to the minimal amounts of dark matter that self-annihilate within them”.
What has been detected?
Through the use of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers have been able to detect four of the most distant objects ever recorded in the distant universe. All of them have matched the theoretical characteristics that define a dark star. Additionally, one of them showed a particular feature in the light absorption at a wavelength of 1,640 Angstroms. Since it arises from helium, individually ionized in their atmospheres, this is a feature directly related to dark stars. According to Ilie, “Although the signal-to-noise ratio of this feature is relatively low, it is the first time we have found a possible irrefutable signal of a dark star. Which, in itself, is extraordinary”.
How do dark stars arise?
Faced with the task of observing the primitive universe and finding unknown bodies, researchers decided to investigate. Through the JWST, they found what seemed to be objects in enormous galaxies that hadn’t had time to grow so much, which piqued the researchers’ curiosity. This is how the idea of dark stars emerged, which could have a mass equivalent to 1 million suns and would look similar to a galaxy. This new study has determined that among the four objects investigated, one appears to be a point source of light, while the other three are more diffuse, suggesting that they are dark stars, surrounded by nebulas of ionized hydrogen and helium.
What mysteries would this discovery solve?
There are several questions that could be answered if this new study is confirmed. On one hand, it would explain the nature of dark matter and its internal workings, and on the other, the formation of early supermassive black holes. More observations are needed to confirm the identity of these objects, but the article concludes that, regardless of what they turn out to be, they seem to rewrite what we know about physics.