Gamma rays from dwarf galaxies may unlock mysteries of dark matter

Astronomers have revealed that detection of gamma rays from the newly found dwarf galaxies may provide clues for solving dark matter mystery.

Physicists at Carnegie Mellon, Brown, and Cambridge universities, have detected for the first time gamma rays emanating from a dwarf galaxy. Such a detection might be the signal of dark matter particles annihilating, a long-sought prediction of many dark matter theories.

The exact source of this high-energy light was uncertain at this point, but it just might be a signal of dark matter lurking at the galaxy's centre. The galaxy, named Reticulum 2, was discovered in the data of the Dark Energy Survey, an experiment that maps the southern sky to understand the accelerated expansion of the universe.

The study is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.