Filaments of Dark Matter Discovered?

Searching for the structure of the cosmos has lead to the discovery of dark matter, but now there may be a new insight related to this exotic material that helps better understand the way galaxies evolve in our universe.

Dr. Noah Brosch, leader of a team of researchers out of Tel Aviv University's Wise Observatory, focused on an area known as the "bridge to nowhere," where 14 galaxies are formed in a line, connecting unknown region to unknown region in space. Thirteen of the galaxies in the "bridge" were giving birth to new stars simultaneously.

Since this is statistically kind of rare, Brosch's team predicts that this series of galaxies is drawn together along a "filament" of dark matter which gravitationally draws the regular matter to it, where the regular matter then joins together to form into galaxies.

One hypothesis of galaxy formation involves them being gravitationally bound to larger structures of dark matter in a sort of "soap bubbles." In this model, where the soap bubbles meet it should be possible for these thicker filaments of dark matter to form. This visible evidence can be interpreted as support of this model.

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• Tel Aviv University - Dr. Noah Brosch
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