Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

paulfromatlanta t1_iwwlb91 wrote

I'm confused. Are photons matter? I thought they were energy.

43

SithLordAJ t1_iwxb418 wrote

They are generally not considered matter. They have no rest mass, but do have momentum.

Im not familiar with this dark matter theory, but the idea of dark matter is that something functions like it has mass that cant be seen. I would surmise that there's more of a trick to it than "it's a photon that cant be absorbed".

33

poppinchips t1_iwy9apf wrote

I believe dark matter just doesn't respond to the electromagnetic field. It doesn't absorb, reflect or emit electromag radiation. Beyond that is anyone's guess.

11

TrippyReality t1_iwyinc2 wrote

By looking at galaxy cluster formation and the formation of the universe, matter should be even throughout, but yet the cosmic microwave background shows web-like features. The inner edges of the galaxy should move faster since there is more mass in the middle compared to the outer edge of galaxies, but it moves the same. Since we don’t have a theory of gravity or graviton particle to explain it, mathematical models can only predict the existence of something that we can’t observe.

8

HannsGruber t1_iwynn4k wrote

My high-dea hypothesis is dark matter is the gravitational signature of the true 4D structure of the universe

5

TrippyReality t1_iwzgssm wrote

Reality could be a simulation like the matrix because even at the quantum level, there is no materialism. Everything is all waves of probability, even matter at the quantum level. Our perception could all be a projection of a 3dimensional virtual world.

2

forsale90 t1_iwz2isa wrote

There is no one dark matter theory. Some particles that could be part of it would couple to photons, like Axions.

What we talk of most of the time, cold dark matter or WIMPs don't couple to photons though.

3

JohnMayerismydad t1_iwwn58f wrote

I thought energy was matter

23

tampora701 t1_iwwpcqe wrote

Does it matter? I don't have the energy.

59

[deleted] t1_iwxvop0 wrote

You should rest, and stay there, unless acted upon

8

sciguy52 t1_iwxi8bk wrote

Flip side of the same coin. Energy can be made into matter, and matter can be made into energy based on E=mc2

14

tornpentacle t1_iwxbpt7 wrote

No but matter is energy. Squares and rectangles situation

9

WeLLrightyOH t1_iwxwrco wrote

Photons are wave/particles. They are not ordinary matter (most think of ordinary matter as items made up of atomic nuclei). Photons have zero mass as they do not interact with the Higgs field. Photons do have energy which is inversely related to it’s wavelength. Most visible light is about 2 eV. Photons aren’t energy per se, but they do have energy.

18

Hanflander t1_iwx5sqj wrote

“Photons have mass? I didn’t know they were Catholic!“

13

sciguy52 t1_iwxi44e wrote

They are talking about dark photons. Hypothetical photons that do not act like known observable photons. Might interact with dark matter. Or possibly regular matter as they propose here.

7

SimoneNonvelodico t1_iwyblfi wrote

Honestly "dark photons" makes zero sense. If they're photons they're excitations of the EM quantum field, if they're of some other field they're just a different particle. I guess it could mean they're from a massless field, like photons and unlike regular dark matter (whatever that is).

1

carbonqubit t1_iwyzp4f wrote

A dark photon's mass would be generated from the Higgs or Stueckelberg mechanism and be weakly coupled to electrically charged particles through kinetic mixing with a photon.

Dark photons could also be used to explain the difference between the measured and calculated anomalous magnetic moment of the muon that was first detected in 1959 at CERN.

5

jawshoeaw t1_iwy3ze9 wrote

Matter cannot go the speed of light , so no. But if they smack into you they have momentum . Hence lightsails

3

SimoneNonvelodico t1_iwybfru wrote

Yeah but we can't call them dark energy because we already have that and it's a different thing.

3