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11h ago

Simulations Show Dark Matter Could Explain Milky Way’s Central Gamma-Ray Excess

A PRL study maps a flattened inner halo whose shape matches Fermi’s glow, leaving pulsars as an equally viable rival pending higher‑resolution tests from the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory.

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The Milky Way, seen here in the Uruguayan sky, has a mysterious glow at its center, which could be related to a hidden form of matter that physicists call dark matter.
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Vera Rubin discovered in the 1970's that most of the universe consists of 'dark matter.

Overview

  • Using galaxy-formation simulations tailored to the Milky Way’s history, researchers find the inner dark matter distribution can be flattened and asymmetric rather than spherical.
  • The simulated dark matter morphology reproduces the spatial pattern of the long-known Galactic Center Excess observed by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
  • The authors say dark matter annihilation and an unresolved population of millisecond pulsars remain roughly equally plausible explanations given current data.
  • Independent experts welcome the fresh modeling but caution it is not definitive, noting that a conclusive match to the stellar bulge has not been demonstrated.
  • Decisive tests are expected from CTAO’s higher-resolution gamma-ray observations and from targeted comparisons in nearby dwarf galaxies, with first data projected as soon as 2027.