View source for Dark star (dark matter)

{{Short description|Hypothetical astronomical object heated by dark-matter annihilation}}
{{about|hypothetical stars including dark matter|other uses|Dark Star (disambiguation)}}

A '''dark star''' is a [[hypothetical star|hypothetical type]] of [[star]] that may have [[history of the universe|existed early]] in the [[universe]] before conventional stars were able to form and thrive.

== Properties ==
The dark stars would be composed mostly of normal [[matter]], like modern stars, but a high concentration of [[neutralino]] [[dark matter]] present within them would generate heat via annihilation reactions between the dark-matter particles. This heat would prevent such stars from [[gravitational collapse|collapsing]] into the relatively compact and dense sizes of modern stars and therefore prevent [[nuclear fusion]] among the 'normal' matter [[atom]]s from being initiated.<ref name=douglas>{{cite journal |first1= Douglas |last1= Spolyar |first2= Katherine |last2= Freese |first3= Paolo |last3= Gondolo |author-link2=Katherine Freese | title=Dark Matter and the First Stars: A New Phase of Stellar Evolution |journal= Physical Review Letters |year= 2008 |doi= 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.051101 |arxiv = 0705.0521 |bibcode = 2008PhRvL.100e1101S |volume=100 |issue= 5 |pmid=18352355 |page=051101|s2cid= 35322918 }}</ref>

Under this model, a dark star is predicted to be an enormous cloud of molecular hydrogen and helium ranging between 1 and 960 [[astronomical unit]]s (AU) in radius; its [[Surface temperature (star)|surface temperature]] would be around 10000 [[Kelvin|K]]. It is expected that they would grow over time and reach masses up to <math>10^6</math>{{Solar mass|link=y}}, up until the point where they exhaust the dark matter needed to sustain them, after which they would collapse.<ref name=douglas/><ref name=Siegel/><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Freese |first1=Katherine |last2=Rindler-Daller |first2=Tanja |last3=Spolyar |first3=Douglas |last4=Valluri |first4=Monica |date=2016-06-01 |title=Dark Stars: A Review |journal=Reports on Progress in Physics |volume=79 |issue=6 |pages=066902 |doi=10.1088/0034-4885/79/6/066902 |pmid=27214049 |issn=0034-4885|arxiv=1501.02394 |bibcode=2016RPPh...79f6902F }}</ref>

In the unlikely event that dark stars have endured to the modern era, they could be detectable by their emissions of [[gamma ray]]s, [[neutrino]]s, and [[antimatter]] and would be associated with clouds of cold molecular hydrogen gas that normally would not harbor such energetic, extreme, and rare particles.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=6230 |date= 2 Dec 2007 |first= Nicole |last= Moore |publisher= [[University of Michigan]] |title= Dark matter powered the first stars, physicists speculate |quote=Gamma-rays, particles called neutrinos or antimatter could be tell-tale signs}}</ref><ref name=Siegel>{{cite web|url= https://physicsworld.com/a/dark-stars-may-have-populated-early-universe/|title= 'Dark stars' may have populated early universe|date= 6 December 2007}}</ref>

== Possible dark star candidates ==
In April 2023, a study investigated four extremely [[redshift]]ed objects discovered by the [[James Webb Space Telescope]].<ref name=ilie>{{Cite journal |last1=Ilie |first1=Cosmin |last2=Paulin |first2=Jillian |last3=Freese |first3=Katherine |date=2023-04-03 |title=Supermassive Dark Star candidates seen by JWST |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=120 |issue=30 |pages=e2305762120 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2305762120 |doi-access=free |pmid=37433001 |pmc=10372643 |arxiv=2304.01173 |bibcode=2023PNAS..12005762I }}</ref> Their study suggested that three of these four, namely [[JADES-GS-z13-0]], [[JADES-GS-z12-0]], and [[JADES-GS-z11-0]], are consistent with being point sources, and further suggested that the only point sources which could exist in this time and be bright enough to be observed at these phenomenal distances and redshifts (z = 10–13) were supermassive dark stars in the [[early universe]], powered by dark matter annihilation.<ref name=ilie/> Their spectral analysis of the objects suggested that they were between 500,000 and 1 million [[solar mass]]es ({{solar mass|link=y}}), as well as having a luminosity of billions of [[Solar luminosity|Suns]] ({{solar luminosity|link=y}}); they would also likely be huge, possibly with radii surpassing 10,000 [[solar radius|solar radii]] ({{solar radius|link=y}}), far exceeding the size of the [[List of largest known stars|largest modern stars]].<ref name=ilie/>

== See also ==
* [[Population III star]]
* [[Supermassive star]]
* [[Quasi-star]]
* [[Primordial black hole]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite conference |first1=Katherine |last1=Freese |first2=Paolo |last2=Gondolo |first3=Douglas |last3=Spolyar |date=15–20 July 2007 |title=The effect of dark matter on the first stars: A new phase of stellar evolution |book-title=First Stars III |conference=First Stars II Conference |place=Santa Fe, NM |publication-date=11 March 2008 |series=AIP Conference Proceedings |volume=990 |issue=1 |pages=42–44 |publisher=[[American Institute of Physics]] |doi=10.1063/1.2905656 |arxiv=0709.2369 |bibcode=2008AIPC..990...42F |citeseerx=10.1.1.245.379 |s2cid=17921208 }}
* {{cite press release <!-- article authors quoted, but not cited in published release --- |first1=Douglas |last1=Spolyar |first2=Katherine |last2=Freese |first3=Paolo |last3=Gondolo --> |date=2007-12-03 |df=dmy-all |title=Dark matter in newborn universe doused earliest stars |publisher=[[University of Utah]] |website=Phys.org |url=http://www.physorg.com/news115880789.html |access-date=2007-12-04 }}
* {{cite conference |first1=Katherine |last1=Freese |first2=Peter |last2=Bodenheimer |first3=Paolo |last3=Gondolo |first4=Douglas |last4=Spolyar |date=20–22 February 2008 |publication-date=8 September 2009 |title=Dark stars: The first stars in the universe may be powered by dark matter heating |book-title=Sources and Detection of Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe |conference=8th UCLA Symposium |place=Marina del Rey, CA |series=AIP Conference Proceedings |volume=1166 |issue=1 |pages=33–38 |publisher=[[American Institute of Physics]] |arxiv=0812.4844 |doi=10.1063/1.3232192 |bibcode=2009AIPC.1166...33F |citeseerx=10.1.1.248.5391 |s2cid=117037439 }}
* {{cite journal|arxiv=1002.2233 |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/716/2/1397 |title=SUPERMASSIVE DARK STARS: DETECTABLE IN ''JWST'' |date=2010 |last1=Freese |first1=Katherine |last2=Ilie |first2=Cosmin |last3=Spolyar |first3=Douglas |last4=Valluri |first4=Monica |last5=Bodenheimer |first5=Peter |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=716 |issue=2 |pages=1397–1407 |bibcode=2010ApJ...716.1397F |s2cid=118502996 }}
* {{cite journal|arxiv=1408.2082 |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/799/2/210 |title=Dark Stars: Improved Models and First Pulsation Results |date=2015 |last1=Rindler-Daller |first1=T. |last2=Montgomery |first2=M. H. |last3=Freese |first3=K. |last4=Winget |first4=D. E. |last5=Paxton |first5=B. |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=799 |issue=2 |page=210 |bibcode=2015ApJ...799..210R |s2cid=119288681 }}
* {{cite journal|arxiv=0903.0101 |doi=10.1088/1367-2630/11/10/105014 |title=Dark stars: A new study of the first stars in the Universe |date=2009 |last1=Freese |first1=Katherine |last2=Bodenheimer |first2=Peter |last3=Gondolo |first3=Paolo |last4=Spolyar |first4=Douglas |journal=New Journal of Physics |volume=11 |issue=10 |bibcode=2009NJPh...11j5014F |s2cid=15570798 }}
* {{cite journal|arxiv=1908.02700 |doi=10.1088/1475-7516/2019/12/051 |title=Multiscatter capture of superheavy dark matter by Pop III stars |date=2019 |last1=Ilie |first1=Cosmin |last2=Zhang |first2=Saiyang |journal=Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics |volume=2019 |issue=12 |page=051 |bibcode=2019JCAP...12..051I |s2cid=199472556 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{cite press release|url=http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-12/uou-wtf113007.php|date=2 Dec 2007|first=Lee|last=Siegel|publisher=[[University of Utah]]| title=Were the first stars dark?}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.astronomy.com/science/dark-stars-the-seeds-of-supermassive-black-holes/ |title=Dark stars: The seeds of supermassive black holes? |date=19 July 2019 }}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.sci.news/astronomy/webb-supermassive-dark-stars-12096.html |title=Webb May Have Spotted Supermassive Dark Stars &#124; Sci.News |date=15 July 2023 }}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.universetoday.com/162568/have-we-seen-the-first-glimpse-of-supermassive-dark-stars/ |title=Have We Seen the First Glimpse of Supermassive Dark Stars? |date=28 July 2023 }}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.universetoday.com/162063/nancy-grace-roman-could-detect-supermassive-dark-stars/ |title=Nancy Grace Roman Could Detect Supermassive Dark Stars |date=23 June 2023 }}
* {{cite web|url=https://newatlas.com/space/dark-stars-matter-annihilating-james-webb/ |title=Webb may have spotted "dark stars" made of annihilating dark matter |date=17 July 2023 }}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2023/07/16/dark-matter-power-james-webb-telescope-may-have-proven-the-existence-of-giant-dark-stars/ |title=Dark matter power: James Webb telescope may have proven the existence of dark stars |date=16 July 2023 }}

{{Star}}
{{Dark matter}}
{{Black holes}}

[[Category:Star types]]
[[Category:Dark matter|Star]]
[[Category:Dark concepts in astrophysics]]
[[Category:Hypothetical stars]]
[[Category:Black holes]]