Ample Dark Matter Ignites Starburst Galaxies

[n2doc]

By Wired UK February 17, 2011




By Liat Clark, Wired UK

Galaxies need 10 times less dark matter to sustain star formation than previously thought, but just the right amount can set off rapid star formation, a recent study suggests.

The discovery was made after European Space Agency photos showed evidence of dark matter 300 billion times the mass of our Sun supporting ancient galaxies. The galaxies — over 10 billion light years from Earth — are some of the most active in the universe, producing thousands of stars each year compared to the 10 a year the Milky Way produces on average.

“If you start with too little dark matter, then a developing galaxy would peter out,” Asantha Cooray, the University of California astrophysicist who led the study, said in a press release. “If you have too much, then gas doesn’t cool efficiently to form one large galaxy, and you end up with lots of smaller galaxies. But if you have the just the right amount of dark matter, then a galaxy bursting with stars will pop out.”

The 300-billion-solar-mass size of ancient galaxies studied seems to encourage star formation more than any other previously recorded mass. It does not just sustain star formation, it facilitates and promotes it, changing previous theories of how galaxies are formed.



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http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/02/dark-matter-starbursts/

[byronius]

1. You're my favorite poster. This is excellent.