Mysterious Cloud of Antimatter Discovered Near Center of Milky Way

The shape of the mysterious cloud of antimatter in the central regions of the Milky Way has been revealed by ESA’s orbiting gamma-ray observatory Integral. The unexpectedly lopsided shape is a new clue to the origin of the antimatter.

The observations have debunked the chances that the antimatter is coming from the annihilation or decay of astronomical dark matter.

Georg Weidenspointner at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and an international team of astronomers made the discovery using four-years-worth of data from Integral. The cloud shows up because of the gamma rays it emits when individual particles of antimatter, in this case positrons, encounter electrons, their normal matter counterpart, and annihilate one another.

The new results give astronomers a valuable new clue and point away from dark matter as the origin of the antimatter. Beyond the Milk Way's center, the cloud is not entirely spherical. Instead it is lopsided with twice as much on one side of the galactic center as the other. Such a distribution is unusual because gas in the inner region of the galaxy is relatively evenly distributed.

Equally importantly, Integral found evidence that a population of binary stars is also significantly off-center, corresponding in extent to the cloud of antimatter. That powerfully suggests these objects, known as hard (because they emit at high energies) low mass X-ray binaries, are responsible for a major amount of antimatter.

The researchers calculate that a relatively ordinary star getting torn apart by a black hole or neutron star orbiting around it — a so-called "low mass X-ray binary" — could spew on the order of one hundred thousand billion billion billion billion positrons (a 1 followed by 41 zeros) per second. These could account for a great deal of the antimatter that scientists have inferred, reducing or potentially eliminating the need for exotic explanations such as ones involving dark matter.

“Simple estimates suggest that about half and possibly all of the antimatter is coming from the X-ray binaries,” says Weidenspointner. The other half could be coming from a similar process around the galaxy’s central black hole and the various exploding stars there.

The discovery has real astrophysical importance because it decreases the need for dark matter at the center of our galaxy.

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Posted by Casey Kazan.

Links:

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMKTX2MDAF_index_0.html

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2007/antimatter_binary.html

Weidenspointner, Skinner and their colleagues, detailed their findings in the Jan. 10 issue of the journal Nature

Comments

[Ron Gauvin]

In 46 months as this tiny Planet & Solar System entire the horizontal plain of our Milky Way Galaxy. I think your Brains will be "more" focused on surviving another day! Just a "Hint" of things to come.. 46 months is a mere nano-second in Galactic Time. Hope your all ready for the Event of your life! Life did not do well the last time Earth types! So, good luck.... Sincerely yours, Ron Gauvin "Realist" And, you....

[Ron Gauvin]

Galaxy's have extreme Gravitational Forces. That toss Planet & their Moons around like mere toys! Last time our Galaxy did this. Life did not do so well Earth types! Hello, it is doing it again. In 46 months. Save your dime! Government, JPL & Nasa. Will not comment. Wonder why? As our Galaxy eats the Dwarf Sagittarian Galaxy like a after dinner Mint! True. So, think what it will do to this speck of dust yu live on. It is already effecting the outer Planets & our Atmosphere. As we come closer each day to this life changing or ending event! Sincerely yours, Ron Gauvin "Realist" And, you?...

[Ron Gauvin]

Called your Government, JPL or Nasa lately about our event coming in 46 months? Don't bother. They aren't commenting. But, that said life on this Planet did not do very well. The last time this event happened. Galaxys like this one do more than eat dwarf galaxies up. They also rock & roll planets in entire solar system that get to close to it horizontal plain. Like this one will be doing in the short months ahead. Outer Planets & our atmosphere is already changing as we get closer. Galaxys are extremely powerful forces. Forces that eat up small galaxys & toss Planets & moons around like mere toys! Earth got tossed last time. Hope your into exciting rides. Yours is coming. Even, if your well not ready for one. It's a mere astrophysical fact. Enjoy the ride. Sincerely, Ron Gauvin P.S. Going purple or green. It won't stop your Solar System Martha! Save your energy for running... "Realist" And, you?

[Scott H Florance]

If Im Dreaming of bieng alive and my physical shell is ina laboratory show a vblue diomond above my head the one that got dug up and houled away by the alien ocupation it was so pure and so radient they got jelouse so put a 3 inch opeace shaped like an oval over my head when I lie down totally fix my neck on the backside the whole time Im resting. whereever I may be when I gave blood 2 vials to Quest Diognostic center at swedish Hospital in Seattle Washington planet Earth. Scott H Florance, Mary the chinese women took it from my inner elbow its always red. Plasma banks in Everett, Seattle and Sacrament also got healthy blood from me 1989-93. PLease when Im dead ship a peace of my flesh into space ina fake space object thats ignored easily with a good feeling for the spirit Gaurdians forevere way past this area of space. Im not gay or soldier the killer at all in innocent,

[x-ray fluorescence]

Hi,
Excellent post.Galaxy's have extreme Gravitational Forces.Forces that eat up small galaxys & toss Planets & moons around like mere toys!