An ultra-high-resolution map of (dark) matter

15 days ago

Dark matter accounts for about five-sixths of all matter in the Universe and interacts only through gravity.
Weak gravitational lensing is a direct probe of dark matter, deflecting light from distant galaxies.
The study presents a high-resolution weak-lensing mass map covering 0.77° × 0.70° using James Webb Space Telescope data.
The map achieves an angular resolution of 1.00±0.01 arcminutes, more than twice the resolution of previous Hubble Space Telescope maps.
The map traces mass features up to redshift z ≈ 2, including the most distant structure at z ≈ 1.1.
The study provides insights into how dark and luminous matter co-evolve across cosmic structures like filaments and clusters.
Data from the COSMOS-Web survey is publicly available, including weak lensing mass maps and supplementary data.
The research sets a benchmark for testing theories about dark matter and large-scale cosmic structure formation.

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