Extinction of Light in the Galactic Halo: First Observational Evidence of the Interaction of Light and Dark Matter

Abstract

We study the distribution of quasars on the celestial sphere according to ground-based SDSS and space-based WISE and Gaia observations. All distributions as a function of galactic latitude, b , exhibit a decrease in quasar frequency well outside the dust in and near the galactic plane. We prove that the observed decrease in quasar frequency at high galactic latitudes is not accompanied by reddening, meaning that it can not be caused by dust. The scattering of light by the circumgalactic gas is negligible because the Thomson scattering cross section is very small. We conclude the observed scattering of light must be caused by dark matter in the galactic halo. We determine the mass and charge of dark matter particles. If the dark matter particle is a fermion its mass, m D M and charge e D M = δ e , where e is the elementary charge are: m D M = 3.2 × 10 − 2 eV and δ = 3.856 × 10 − 5 . If however the dark matter particle is spinless then: m D M = 0.511 eV and δ = 2.132 × 10 − 4 . These values for the charge of a dark matter particle are orders of magnitude higher than the upper limit of the neutrino charge according to laboratory experiments. Consequently, dark matter particles are not charged neutrinos. Since dark matter particles are charged, they must emit and absorb electromagnetic radiation. However, P D M ~ δ 2 , or: P D M ~ 1.487 × 10 − 9 P e , where P e is the power output of a single electron.