by Ann » Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:35 am
MarkBour wrote:Chris Peterson wrote:it now appears that there is a population of globular clusters that do have very high dark matter concentrations. This further complicates our (already limited) understanding of the origin and evolution of globular clusters.
Fascinating. I wonder if globular clusters "create" dark matter, or vice versa (or both).
I think we can rule out any possibility that globular clusters create dark matter.
Large concentrations of dark matter, however, attracts baryonic matter (the stuff that you, me and the stars in globular clusters are made of).
However, there is evidence that
dark matter can separate from baryonic matter.
I'm thinking of the fact that most globulars are found in the halos of galaxies. If they were not born there, they might have been "flung" there (due to galactic interactions, for example). Perhaps many globulars shed dark matter that way? Perhaps they were born with dark matter, but lost it over billions of years? On the other hand, perhaps some globulars can collide with discrete clumps of dark matter during titanic collisions and get merged with it, when everything is flying this way and that?
Ann
[quote="MarkBour"][quote="Chris Peterson"]it now appears that there is a population of globular clusters that do have very high dark matter concentrations. This further complicates our (already limited) understanding of the origin and evolution of globular clusters.[/quote]
Fascinating. I wonder if globular clusters "create" dark matter, or vice versa (or both).[/quote]
I think we can rule out any possibility that globular clusters create dark matter.
Large concentrations of dark matter, however, attracts baryonic matter (the stuff that you, me and the stars in globular clusters are made of).
However, there is evidence that [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060824.html]dark matter can separate from baryonic matter[/url].
I'm thinking of the fact that most globulars are found in the halos of galaxies. If they were not born there, they might have been "flung" there (due to galactic interactions, for example). Perhaps many globulars shed dark matter that way? Perhaps they were born with dark matter, but lost it over billions of years? On the other hand, perhaps some globulars can collide with discrete clumps of dark matter during titanic collisions and get merged with it, when everything is flying this way and that?
Ann