Cosmic discovery: New filament in the Shapley Supercluster reveals secrets!

Cosmic discovery: New filament in the Shapley Supercluster reveals secrets!

Researchers from the Universities of Bonn, Leiden, Helsinki and Paris-Saclay recently presented an important research result on the filament that connects the galaxy clusters A3532 and A3530 with A3528-N and A3528-S. These four galaxy clusters are part of the Shapley Supercluster, located about 650 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus. The results, based on spectroscopic analyses, could revolutionize understanding of the composition of the universe. According to the researchers, the mass of hot gas in the filament is ten times greater than that of the Milky Way.

The filament examined in this study consists predominantly of free electrons and protons and has a temperature of over 10 million degrees Celsius. The density of the filament is approximately 10 particles per cubic meter, which is 30 to 40 times higher than the average density of the universe. The results of this study, obtained over the past few years based on intensive analysis, indicate that 95% of the contents of the Universe are unknown, especially regarding dark matter and dark energy.

Technical approaches to analysis

The researchers used several methods to eliminate contaminants in their measurements. This included determining the orientation of the filament using optical telescopes and creating a spectrum using the Suzaku X-ray telescope. Modeling and elimination of black hole influences using data from the XMM-Newton telescope was also carried out.

Previous studies had only been able to detect the densest filaments, which did not correspond to the predictions of cosmological simulations. However, with this new method, the research results show that the density of the filament is four times less than shown in previous discoveries and is consistent with predictions from numerical simulations. These results support the validity of current cosmological models.

The Shapley supercluster in focus

The Shapley Supercluster (SCl 124) is the largest collection of galaxies in the Universe that functions as a gravitationally interacting entity. It plays a crucial role in the movement of the Local Group of galaxies, including the Milky Way, which move towards this supercluster. Historically, Harlow Shapley began mapping galaxies in the southern sky in the 1930s, which eventually led to the discovery of this significant structure.

One speculation about the Shapley Supercluster is that its gravitational attraction could be a major cause of our galaxy's unusual motion. This movement is accompanied by a relative movement of underdense regions, which can be visualized as virtual repulsion. These findings open up new perspectives for research on gravity and the large-scale structure of the universe.

A current publication by Massimo Meneghetti and his team at the University of Bologna also addresses the challenges in dwarf galaxy research. The article addresses the problem of the “missing satellite problem,” which is characterized by the discrepancy between theoretical models and observations. This research touches on key aspects of dark matter and provides valuable context to better understand the interplay between galaxy clusters and their gravitational effects.

Overall, the current studies suggest that there is still much to be discovered about cosmic structures and highlight the need for further research in this area. In particular, future missions such as the Euclid Space Telescope could provide essential data and further clarify questions about dark matter.

For more detailed information on these topics, you can visit the articles uni-bonn.de, wikipedia.org and scilogs.spektrum.de see.