A few qustions about Dark Matter from a beginner.

[721]

Hi!
As i said in the topic i am still very new in the field, so if my questions are stupid and just a waste of time i apoligize. The stuff i know I've learned by myself so there are gaps.

Anyway, onto my question:

Speed of Light(C) travels at 3*10⁸m/s in a vacuum, but when traveling through glas(for example) the speed is only 2*10⁸m/s.

Then we have Dark Matter, which doesn't emit or absorb light, neither does it interract with matter as far as we know. But it is still all around us, is it possible that the velocity of C changes when traveling through dark matter? As it does when traveling through glas?

 

[721]

A few = One question apparently, my apoligies for the misleading topic.

 

[Chronos]

There is no evidence dark matter interacts with light save for gravitational lensing.

 

[marcus]

...
Then we have Dark Matter, which doesn't emit or absorb light, neither does it interract with matter as far as we know. But it is still all around us, is it possible that the velocity of C changes when traveling through dark matter? As it does when traveling through glas?
...

Hi 721, welcome! That's a good question. This place runs on people who want to learn something asking intelligent questions. I agree with what Chronos said about no evidence for speed change.

Dark matter is a fascinating topic. It is something to keep pursuing and asking about. Do you know about gravitational lensing (Wkpd probably has some informative articles about DM and how clouds of it are mapped by socalled "weak" gravitational lensing.)

Denser patches of DM distort the background images of more distant galaxies more, that we see thru the "lens" of the clouds of DM. So the clouds can be mapped and their density variations can be mapped. Find out all you can about DM because research on it is progressing, it is a good learning "investment" if you watch science for enjoyment.

You could also go over into the Physics section and ask WHY glass and water slow down light. It must be because their atoms are interacting with the light as it goes thru. It is standard college physics textbook stuff but nevertheless fascinating. What is the interaction that slows down the light? They'd probably explain it to you over in General Physics forum, or Classical.

Actually you know maybe Chronos and I didn't tell you everything about your question. My intuition is that a dense enough cloud of DM would slow light a little bit while it was traveling thru the cloud because time passes more slowly deep down in a gravity well. But in realworld cases the effect would be very slight. Probably too small to ever have been observed. It would be associated with "strong" gravitational lensing. Dense concentrations of mass can actually focus plane waves like a magnifying glass. DM is too diffuse to have that effect be measurable. The weak grav lensing that DM does is a more subtle effect of slightly distorting shape.

Have fun here, keep asking sensible questions like this. Again, welcome.

 

[pmacias]

Hello, thank you for your questions about dark matter. It's great that you are curious and eager to learn more about this fascinating topic.

To answer your first question, the speed of light is indeed constant in a vacuum, but it can change when traveling through different mediums such as glass or water. This is due to the interaction of light with the atoms and molecules in these materials, which can slow it down. This phenomenon is known as refraction.

Now onto your question about dark matter and the speed of light. As you mentioned, dark matter does not interact with light in the same way that regular matter does. This is because it does not contain any charged particles that can interact with photons (particles of light). Therefore, the speed of light is not affected when traveling through dark matter, as there is no interaction between the two.

However, dark matter can still have an effect on the path of light. This is because dark matter has a gravitational pull, just like regular matter. This means that as light travels through an area with a lot of dark matter, its path may be slightly curved due to the gravitational force of the dark matter. This effect has been observed in the bending of light from distant galaxies as it passes through clusters of dark matter.

In summary, the speed of light is not affected by dark matter, but its path may be altered due to the gravitational pull of the dark matter. I hope this helps answer your questions, and please don't hesitate to ask if you have any further inquiries. Happy learning!