Detection of gamma rays from a newly discovered dwarf galaxy may point to dark matter

A newly discovered dwarf galaxy orbiting our own Milky Way has offered up a surprise—it appears to be radiating gamma rays, according to an analysis by physicists at Carnegie Mellon, Brown, and Cambridge universities. The exact source of this high-energy light is uncertain at this point, but it just might be a signal of dark matter lurking at the galaxy's center.

"Something in the direction of this dwarf galaxy is emitting gamma rays," said Alex Geringer-Sameth, a postdoctoral research associate in CMU's Department of Physics and the paper's lead author. "There's no conventional reason this galaxy should be giving off gamma rays, so it's potentially a signal for dark matter."