Scientists have discovered that there might be dark matter trapped inside the sun - and it could be the solar interior . The bold new theory suggests that a form of the mysterious particle - which has yet to be directly observed - is absorbed by the sun from the centre of our galaxy . And once inside , it affects the movement of heat within our solar system 's star - which could explain why scientists have struggled to explain 'pressure waves ' inside the sun . Durham University scientists have proposed a new model for the sun . They say that dark matter may be transferring heat around its interior ( artist 's illustration shown ) . This would help explain how pressure waves move around the sun . Current models are insufficient to account for how they move . The theory was put forward by scientists from Durham University . They propose that so-called asymmetric dark matter ( ADM ) could explain some inconsistencies in the standard solar model . So far , the standard solar model has proved successful in calculating the sun ’ s density and temperature - but measuring 'pressure waves ' in its interior has proved much more difficult . The sun is about 15 million Kelvin in temperature at its core , and 6,000 Kelvin at its surface . When physicists study the dynamics of galaxies and the movement of stars , they are confronted with a mystery . If they only take visible matter into account , their equations simply do n't add up ; the elements that can be observed are not sufficient to explain the rotation of objects and the existing gravitational forces . There is something missing . From this they deduced that there must be an invisible kind of matter that does not interact with light but does , as a whole , interact by means of the gravitational force . Called 'dark matter ' , this substance appears to make up at least 80 per cent of the matter in the known universe . Pressure waves are produced as a result of activity on the solar surface . They are not entirely dissimilar to pressure waves - or P -waves - produced on Earth during an earthquake . It has previously been theorised that dark matter originating from elsewhere in the galaxy may have an affect on the sun - particularly its activity and even its structure . ‘ Weakly-interacting dark matter from the galactic halo is captured when it passes through the sun , ’ the researchers note in their paper . The dark matter becomes gravitationally trapped within the sun because it does not contain much antimatter . This means it is not destroyed when it interacts with other matter - so the sun likely has a steadily increasing amount of dark matter . And this same dark matter could be having more of an effect on the sun than previously thought . According to the researchers , dark matter ( illustration shown ) originates in the galactic halo of the Milky Way before passing through the sun - and in some instances , it becomes gravitationally trapped . Dark matter particles are thought to absorb energy in the hottest , central parts of the core . They then travel to different regions of the sun before scattering again and ‘ re-depositing their energy , ’ the researchers write . This reduces the central temperature and moves heat elsewhere . But this same effect also leads to lower nuclear fusion rates in the core , so the sun compensates by pumping more hydrogen into its core - keeping its luminosity constant . This has an effect of lowering the pressure towards the sun ’ s surface . 'To prove that this is really what is going on in the sun , we 'd need to find a stable dark matter particle that interacts in this way with normal matter , ' Dr Pat Scott from the Astrophysics group at Imperial College London , who was involved in the research , told MailOnline . 'Either the next run of the Large Hadron Collider , or some of the next generation of direct searches for dark matter , should be able to find such a particle if it exists . ' Pressure waves in the sun are produced as a result of activity on the solar surface , shown here in this illustration . Red and blue denote different directions for the waves . They are not entirely dissimilar to pressure waves - or P-waves - produced on Earth during an earthquake . ‘ The structural changes in the core shift the balance between gravity and pressure elsewhere , ’ say the researchers . This would explain why observations of pressure waves in the sun - namely how they move , and how heat is transported - do not match up with theories of solar behaviour . Another conclusions the scientists is that the type of dark matter in the sun is ‘ asymmetric , ’ as mentioned earlier , which means it contains very little antimatter . ‘ The relative absence of antimatter means that the density of the sun ’ s dark matter is not decreased over time , ’ notes Kathy Fey from The Space Reporter . ‘ Their model relies on the assumption that it is the change in momentum during particle collisions between dark and normal matter that drive the nature of the interactions between particles . ‘ The calculations produced by the team suggest that dark matter displaying this property would transfer large amounts of heat from the sun ’ s core to its surface. ’ The researchers also note that their theory is consistent with predicted properties of dark matter that is being searched for with detectors on Earth and in space .
Durham University scientists have proposed a new model for the sun . They say that dark matter may be transferring heat around its interior . This would help explain how pressure waves move around the sun . Current models are insufficient to account for how they move . Comment: