2 min of reading

0 comments

MIT study creates method to search for dark matter in gravitational waves and finds possible evidence in black hole signal

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 24/05/2026 at 22:34

Science and Technology

Be the first to react!

Research published in Physical Review Letters developed a model to identify possible dark matter signatures in gravitational waves emitted by colliding black holes, after analysis of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA signals indicated provisional evidence in specific events, still without sufficient statistical confirmation

Study published in Physical Review Letters proposes a model to search for dark matter signatures in gravitational waves generated by black hole mergers, after analysis of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA signals indicated possible hints in specific events, still without sufficient statistical confirmation.

More than 85% of the Universe’s matter may be dark matter, and a study published in Physical Review Letters suggests that black hole mergers may carry signals of this invisible component in gravitational waves detected on Earth.

Dark matter may leave marks in cosmic collisions

Dark matter does not interact with light, magnetic fields, or forms of electromagnetic energy. Therefore, its existence is inferred by gravity, especially by the curvature around distant galaxies.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

MIT model analyzed LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA signals

To search for these signatures, Josu Aurrekoetxea and colleagues developed a semi-analytical waveform model for binaries in scalar environments. The method was validated with numerical relativity simulations.

The team applied Bayesian analysis to the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA catalog, gravitational wave observatories. Among 28 clear signals from the first three observation runs, 27 were compatible with mergers in a vacuum.

The GW190728 signal showed possible hints of an environment associated with dark matter. The study summary also mentions GW190814, in which the vacuum was outside the 95% confidence region.

Researchers treat result as provisional

The authors emphasize that there has been no confirmed detection of dark matter. The statistical significance does not yet allow for a discovery claim, and independent verifications are necessary before any confirmation.

Even so, the method opens a path to investigate dark matter on smaller scales, using black holes as natural amplifiers and upcoming LVK data to search for new physics.

MIT study creates method to search for dark matter in gravitational waves and finds possible evidence in black hole signal

Dark matter may leave marks in cosmic collisions

MIT model analyzed LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA signals

Researchers treat result as provisional

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

With billions in loans, China is rebuilding Nigeria’s railway network from scratch, abandoning the British colonial tracks that have turned to scrap and creating a corridor of over 1,300 km to take the load off the roads of Africa’s largest economy.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

Australia prepares to dredge 96.5 million m³ in Moreton Bay to deepen, widen, and realign channels of the Port of Brisbane, in a project of up to 25 years designed to accommodate larger ships and enhance maritime safety and regional port efficiency.

Study solves great ancient mystery: remains of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, are identified in Vergina and resolves the enigma of the Macedonian royal tombs that had lasted half a century.

Portugal installs two giant underwater sockets to draw water from the Atlantic and create a €107.9 million desalination plant in the Algarve capable of producing 43.2 million liters of potable water per day with ocean intake 2 km from the coast.

A 600-meter hill in the interior of Santa Catarina hides a volcanic past of almost 600 million years. The Morro do Garrafão in Corupá may have been an ancient extinct volcano, and science now confirms what the residents have always suspected.

After 107 years at the bottom of the Atlantic, divers find the wreck of the Tampa, a World War I ship torpedoed with 131 people on board.

Scientists test 24 million routes and discover the most economical way to reach the moon using less fuel

A supermarket giant has just created a new position and opened 316 vacancies in Santa Catarina without requiring any prior experience, just bring your resume this Monday or Tuesday to one of the Fort Atacadista or Comper stores.

Light-controlled switch uses only 4 femtojoules and brings photonic AI chips closer to a future with less heat and lower energy consumption

MIT study creates method to search for dark matter in gravitational waves and finds possible evidence in black hole signal

Dark matter may leave marks in cosmic collisions

MIT model analyzed LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA signals

Researchers treat result as provisional

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

With billions in loans, China is rebuilding Nigeria’s railway network from scratch, abandoning the British colonial tracks that have turned to scrap and creating a corridor of over 1,300 km to take the load off the roads of Africa’s largest economy.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

Australia prepares to dredge 96.5 million m³ in Moreton Bay to deepen, widen, and realign channels of the Port of Brisbane, in a project of up to 25 years designed to accommodate larger ships and enhance maritime safety and regional port efficiency.

Study solves great ancient mystery: remains of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, are identified in Vergina and resolves the enigma of the Macedonian royal tombs that had lasted half a century.

Portugal installs two giant underwater sockets to draw water from the Atlantic and create a €107.9 million desalination plant in the Algarve capable of producing 43.2 million liters of potable water per day with ocean intake 2 km from the coast.

After 107 years at the bottom of the Atlantic, divers find the wreck of the Tampa, a World War I ship torpedoed with 131 people on board.

Scientists test 24 million routes and discover the most economical way to reach the moon using less fuel

Light-controlled switch uses only 4 femtojoules and brings photonic AI chips closer to a future with less heat and lower energy consumption

800-year-old skeletons found embracing have their impressive story revealed after DNA results

Christmas trees thrown away become a natural barrier in Alabama, where teams repurpose thousands of pines on the beaches of Gulf Shores to trap sand, rebuild dunes, and protect houses against storms and hurricanes for almost four decades.

A 600-meter hill in the interior of Santa Catarina hides a volcanic past of almost 600 million years. The Morro do Garrafão in Corupá may have been an ancient extinct volcano, and science now confirms what the residents have always suspected.

After 107 years at the bottom of the Atlantic, divers find the wreck of the Tampa, a World War I ship torpedoed with 131 people on board.

Scientists test 24 million routes and discover the most economical way to reach the moon using less fuel

A supermarket giant has just created a new position and opened 316 vacancies in Santa Catarina without requiring any prior experience, just bring your resume this Monday or Tuesday to one of the Fort Atacadista or Comper stores.

Light-controlled switch uses only 4 femtojoules and brings photonic AI chips closer to a future with less heat and lower energy consumption