Dark matter and 21 cm line of hydrogen

Dark matter in TGD sense corresponds to h_eff/h=n phases of ordinary matter associated with magnetic flux tubes. These flux tubes would be n-sheeted covering spaces, and n would correspond to the dimension of the extension of rationals in which Galois group acts. The evidence for this interpretation of dark matter is accumulating. Here I discuss one of the latest anomalies - 21-cm anomaly.

Sabine Hossenfelder told about the article discussing the possible interpretation of so called 21-cm anomaly associated with the hyperfine transition of hydrogen atom and observed by EDGES collaboration.

The EDGES Collaboration has recently reported the detection of a stronger-than-expected absorption feature in the global 21-cm spectrum, centered at a frequency corresponding to a redshift of z ≈ 17. This observation has been interpreted as evidence that the gas was cooled during this era as a result of scattering with dark matter. In this study, we explore this possibility, applying constraints from the cosmic microwave background, light element abundances, Supernova 1987A, and a variety of laboratory experiments. After taking these constraints into account, we find that the vast majority of the parameter space capable of generating the observed 21-cm signal is ruled out. The only range of models that remains viable is that in which a small fraction, ≈ 0.3-2 per cent, of the dark matter consists of particles with a mass of ≈ 10-80 MeV and which couple to the photon through a small electric charge, ε ≈ 10^-6-10^-4. Furthermore, in order to avoid being overproduced in the early universe, such models must be supplemented with an additional depletion mechanism, such as annihilations through a L_μ-L_τ gauge boson or annihilations to a pair of rapidly decaying hidden sector scalars.

What has been found is an unexpectedly strong absorption feature in 21-cm spectrum: the redshift is about z ≈ 17 which corresponds to a distance of about 2.27× 10¹¹ ly. Dark matter interpretation would be in terms of scattering of the baryons of gas from dark matter at lower temperature. The anomalous absorption of 21 cm line could be explained with the cooling of gas caused by the flow of energy to a colder medium consisting of dark matter. If I understood correctly, this would generate a temperature difference between background radiation and gas and consequent energy flow to gas inducing the anomaly.

The article excludes large amount of parameter space able to generate the observed signal. The idea is that the interaction of baryons of the gas with dark matter. The interaction would be mediated by photons. The small em charge of the new particle is needed to make it "dark enough". My conviction is that tinkering with the quantization of electromagnetic charge is only a symptom about how desperate the situation is concerning interpretation of dark matter in terms of some exotic particles is. Something genuinely new physics is involved and the old recipes of particle physicists do not work.

In TGD framework the dark matter at lower temperature would be h_eff/h=n phases of ordinary matter residing at magnetic flux tubes. This kind of energy transfer between ordinary and dark matter is a general signature of dark matter in TGD sense, and there are indications from some experiments relating to primordial life forms for this kind of energy flow in lab scale (see this) .

The ordinary photon line appearing in the Feynman diagram describing the exchange of photon would be replaced with a photon line containing a vertex in which the photon transforms to dark photon. The coupling in the vertex - call it m² - would have dimensions of mass squared. This would transform the coupling e² associated with the photon exchange to e² m²/p², where p² is photon's virtual mass squared. The slow rate for the transformation of ordinary photon to dark photon could be see as an effective reduction of electromagnetic charge for dark matter particle from its quantized value.

Remark: In biological systems dark cyclotron photons would transform to ordinary photons and would be interpreted as bio-photons with energies in visible and UV.

To sum up, the importance of this finding is that it supports the view about dark matter as ordinary particles in a new phase. There are electromagnetic interactions but the transformation of ordinary photons to dark photons slows down the process and makes these exotic phases effectively dark.

See the article Four new strange effects associated with galaxies or the chapter TGD and astrophysics.

For a summary of earlier postings see Latest progress in TGD.

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