Researchers from the University of Texas in Austin have proposed a new hypothesis suggesting that mysterious dark matter, a significant component of the universe, may have originated before a major cosmic explosion.
According to their model named WiFi (Warm Inflation Via Freeze-in), dark matter was formed during the period of cosmic inflation, a brief but intense phase of exponential expansion of the universe. The researchers believe this phase could have preceded the massive cosmic explosion.
While the commonly held belief is that the big bang marked the beginning of everything – matter, energy, space, and time, some theories suggest that cosmic inflation took place before this event, setting the stage for the emergence of dark matter.
The WiFi model is based on interactions between radiation and particles in a thermal bath existing during the inflation era. It is these interactions that the scientists argue led to the creation of enough dark matter particles to account for their observed distribution in the present universe.
A key distinction of this model is that the dark matter generated during inflation does not dissipate as the universe continues to expand. Unlike other theories where all particles generated during inflation are essentially erased, WiFi proposes a different mechanism.
While acknowledging that connecting dark matter to the inflation era is not a novel concept, the authors of the study assert that their approach helps explain how particles could have been produced in quantities consistent with astronomical observations.
The new theory also impacts the characteristics of hypothetical particles known as Inflatons, which are thought to be responsible for cosmic inflation. According to WiFi, Inflatons lose some energy, which is then converted into radiation that, in turn, generates dark matter through the UV freeze-in mechanism.
At present, the WiFi model remains a hypothesis, but upcoming research projects like cmb-s4 that investigate relic radiation could either validate or challenge the ideas proposed about warm inflation. Confirmation of these concepts could significantly enhance the likelihood of establishing the origins of dark matter prior to the big bang event.