On the Nature of Dark Matter

The Universe as we understand it, appears to be comprised of several distinct forces that act upon all of the matter contained within. Interestingly enough, they can all be represented by the same general equation:

F = k(q₁q₂)/r²

Classically known as "Coulomb's Law," it holds true for all forces. Whatever the force (F) might be, it can be determined by multiplying some quantifiable values (q) together, dividing the result by the distance between them (r) squared, and throwing in a constant (k) to ensure that the answer comes out in the right form.

One example of this is the electrical attraction between two charged masses. Electrically speaking, positively charged particles (cations) attract negatively charged particles (anions) while each repels like charges. If the force between two ions is positive, it is repulsive. If it is negative, then it is attractive.

This "attract" and "repel" effect is also exhibited in magnetism where "North" attracts "South" and repels "North." Again, the same equation is used to calculate the force, but with a different constant (μ/4π).

 F = μ(q_m1q_m2)/4πr²

However, while the same equation applies to gravitational forces, there is only attraction between masses.

F = G(m₁m₂)/r²

There is no "like signs repel and unlike signs attract" when it comes to gravity. But what if there was? What if there was matter that repelled what we know as matter? And, if it existed, what would we call it? Anti-matter?

When I took Physics, we were taught that the Universe was expanding, but at a steadily decreasing rate. This was widely understood because of the gravitational attraction between all matter pulling everything back toward the Origin of the Universe. However, as happens to many scientific theories, this was later shown to be false and the Universe is actually expanding at an ever-increasing rate. This begs the question: What is it that's pushing it apart?

It's easy to imagine this anti-matter clumping together in their own galaxies, but it's not so easy to determine what we would sense in looking for them. Would they produce visible light? Radio waves? Radiation of a sort that we can't detect?

At the moment before The Big Bang, some theorize that everything in the Universe was contained in a single locus of no dimensions. When it suddenly went SPROING!, whatever anti-matter that existed would have repelled the "normal" matter and be somewhere far, far away by now, but still providing the expansive force to accelerate everything outwards. No one knows for sure, especially me, but the presence of other-matter that repels our normal-matter brings a bit of symmetry to my view of the Universe. It's definitely food for thought.

Read "Raising Miss Ellie" for an alternative explanation of the Universe!

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