The Search for MACHOs and WIMPs using Omega Centauri

Details The Search for MACHOs and WIMPs using Omega Centauri The Search for MACHOs and WIMPs using Omega Centauri

Dec 1992

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992aas...181.4304m&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, 181st AAS Meeting, #43.04; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 24, p.1187

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

1

Scientific paper

Halo dark matter is an outstanding problem in astronomy. A plausible hypothesis is that the dark matter consists of compact objects of substellar mass (massive astrophysical compact halo objects or MACHOs, as opposed to to the principal alternative hypothesis, that the dark matter consists of weakly interacting massive particles or WIMPs). These MACHOs may be brown dwarfs or objects of much smaller mass. We have used the globular cluster Omega Centauri as a microlensing probe of halo dark matter to study %probe the mass range for dark matter objects between 10(-11) and 10(-8) M_sun. We used the Anglo-Australian Telescope to monitor the brightness fluctuations of a large number of stars ( ~ 50,000 in a 12.5times 12.5 arcmin field centered on the cluster) on a short timescale (10 second exposures every 35 seconds) for two nights. An important bonus of our search is the derivation of an accurate stellar luminosity function for Omega Centauri, near the main sequence turn-off, to test for the presence of a plateau in the luminosity function (as seen in M92). Canonical theoretical models fail to explain this plateau at about 1 magnitude brighter than the main sequence turn-off. VandenBerg has found that the only straightforward model change which successfully accounts for such a %this plateau incorporates an isothermal core which could be due to WIMPs.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

The Search for MACHOs and WIMPs using Omega Centauri does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with The Search for MACHOs and WIMPs using Omega Centauri, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Search for MACHOs and WIMPs using Omega Centauri will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1110849