Re: Limits set on size of dark matter clumps (Feb 27)

Sam Wormley wrote:

Limits set on size of dark matter clumps (Feb 27)
http://physicsweb.org/article/news/11/2/22

If dark matter really does reside only in large clumps, these cannot be
any bigger than one-tenth the mass of the Earth. This is the claim of
physicists from Germany and the UK, who have studied gravitational
lensing data from almost 300 distant supernovae. The findings could
require the notions of dark matter -- a mysterious substance thought to
constitute the vast majority of matter in the universe -- to be revised
by cosmologists, some of whom have assumed that dark matter clumps could
have masses many times that of the Sun (Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 071302).

If we are back to Dark Matter as non-thermalized neutralinos and such
that only interact gravitationally then we need a commensurate
detector. Huge volumes of milli-kelvin germanium constitute charming
if expensive collisional calorimeters. This is limp for Media sound
bites since collisional signal probability is about zero even given
optimistic theoretical models. In comparison, Super-Kamiokande output
is as loud as a boom box.

Uncle Al therefore proposes detecting SUSY fundamental particle
gravitational grazing directly. Acreages of simplfied DLP chips
(pivoted micro-mirrors, no fancy electronics layers needed) cooled to
milli-kelvin temps (thermal jitter is verboten) will act as hugely
parallel nulled optical interferometers. Anything that moves a mirror
is a hit. Three orthogonal arrays are a neutralino telescope, giving
flux direction from counting statistics.

DLP chips fabricated without the electronics package are wonderfully
cheap. No rare interactive collision with matter is required. Mere
close passage is good enough - and Newton tells us the coupling
strength long before a murder of theorists can muddy the waters.

"8^>)

--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/lajos.htm#a2
.

Relevant Pages

  • Limits set on size of dark matter clumps (Feb 27)
    ... If dark matter really does reside only in large clumps, ... any bigger than one-tenth the mass of the Earth. ... some of whom have assumed that dark matter clumps could ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Limits set on size of dark matter clumps (Feb 27)
    ... lensing data from almost 300 distant supernovae. ... require the notions of dark matter -- a mysterious substance thought to ... some of whom have assumed that dark matter clumps ... Antimatter is indistinguishable from matter barring some little issues ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: News: Galactic clash sheds light on dark matter.
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