Fundamentally, how is dark matter theory relevant to quantum mechanics?

1. 60

   spartanking1978posted 15 years ago

   Fundamentally, how is dark matter theory relevant to quantum mechanics?
   
   Please state your answer in as few words as possible...Thank you for your input.

   report
2. 60

   Dark knight ridesposted 15 years ago

   If I understand the theories, and I may not, the math behind quantum mechanics proposes more mass in the universe than scientists can account for. So while quantum theory can make accurate predictions, they need a way to explain the mass issue. The theory they've come to is the dark matter theory, that there is a dark matter that cannot be detected yet, that has enough mass to account for what they say must exist, but can't find.

   report
3. 69

   diplessposted 14 years ago

   Hi, Not quite correct. Dark matter was predicted by branches of cosmology, by looking at rotational speeds of galaxies and other massive cosmological objects, gravitational lensing and other phenomenon.
   
   Now where dark matter and quantum mechanics are comming together is in another class of theories attempts to reconcile gravitation with quantum mechanics and obtain corrections to the conventional gravitational interaction.
   
   In scalar-tensor theories, scalar fields like the Higgs field couple to the curvature given through the Riemann tensor or its traces. In many such theories, the scalar field equals the inflaton field, which is needed to explain the inflation of the universe after the Big Bang, as the dominating factor of the quintessence or Dark Energy. Using an approach based on the exact renormalization group, M. Reuter and H. Weyer have shown that Newton's constant and the cosmological constant can be scalar functions on spacetime if one associates renormalization scales to the points of spacetime.
   
   Some M-Theory cosmologists also propose that multi-dimensional forces from outside the visible universe have gravitational effects on the visible universe meaning that dark matter is not necessary for a unified theory of cosmology.

   report