A peculiar cluster of stars swirling around the violent center of the Milky Way could become"immortal" by continuously capturing and destroying dark matter particles in their cores, a new study suggests.
"Stars burn hydrogen in nuclear fusion," lead study author Isabelle John, a doctoral candidate in astroparticle physics at Stockholm University, told Live Science via email."The outward pressure from this balances out the inward pressure from the gravitational forces, and keeps the stars in a stable equilibrium."
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Stars defying theoryStellar evolution is a well-studied subject. Relationships among a star's age, luminosity, size and temperature have been derived with high precision both with theory and astronomical data. However, recent observations have shown that the properties of stars near the center of the Milky Way defy the generally accepted theory of stellar evolution.
These strange properties of the S-cluster stars could be explained by the presence of an additional source of energy within them. For instance, this extra energy source could allow the star to burn hydrogen — the usual energy source — at a lower rate, causing it to age more slowly and appear younger than it actually is.
Virtual annihilationTo test their hypothesis, the researchers conducted a computer simulation of the life cycle of a star surrounded by a dark matter cloud with a density matching that of the galactic center. They assumed dark matter consists of weakly interacting massive particles, one of the primary candidates for dark matter components.
—Supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way is approaching the cosmic speed limit, dragging space-time along with it
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