ASOW 2012/06/10: Dark Matter

[owlice]

Dark Matter
Presenter: Dr. Paul Doherty
Senior Scientist at the Exploratorium in San Francisco and director of The Splo Museum (in SL)

Audio (MP3, 37Mb)

A brief overview of what we know about dark matter, some history of when the idea arose, and current experiments designed to detect or otherwise figure out what dark matter is.
This talk was presented in Second Life in February, 2012

Dr. Doherty will answer a selection of questions posted by June 24, 2012.

A PDF of the slides can be downloaded here. (4Mb)

Files also available here: http://www.mica-vw.org/wiki/index.php/Dark_Matter

[Genghis Bob]

So, if we go to where there is abundant dark matter, can we put some in a box and bring it back? In other words, is dark matter 'constrained' by 'normal' matter?

[Chris Peterson]

So, if we go to where there is abundant dark matter, can we put some in a box and bring it back? In other words, is dark matter 'constrained' by 'normal' matter?

No. The thing that makes it "dark" is its complete or near complete lack of interaction with ordinary matter via any forces except gravity. Assuming it is, in fact, made of of non-baryonic particles, it would simply pass through a box made of normal matter- just like it's probably passing through the Earth and our bodies right now.

[jgwinner]

Has anyone done any more theoretical work on "Dark Stars"? These would be big loose balls of Neutralinos.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_star_(dark_matter)

I'm writing a science fiction novel and wanted my characters to drive 'through' such a Neutralino star ... thoughts?

== John ==