Cosmological Implications of Trace-Charged Dark Matter

Abstract

Trace charge imbalances can explain puzzling cosmological observations such as the large `missing' fraction of electrons in cosmic rays and their contrast to the charge-neutral solar wind, the extreme energy sources that sustain pulsars, quasars, galactic jets and active galactic nuclei (AGN), the origin and nature of `dark matter' galaxy haloes, and the apparent acceleration of the expansion of the Universe. When there are $\sim \num{9e-19}$ amounts of excess $\ce{H3+}$ or $\ce{H-}$ within cold diffuse clouds of $\ce{H2}$, residual repulsive Coulomb forces between these few unbalanced charges are comparable to the gravitational attractions between the many nucleons. Thus, trace-charged dark matter is inert with respect to static electrogravitional self-attractions, but responds to electromagnetic fields and gravitational attractions with uncharged matter. Trace charge is also the ionic catalyst that keeps dark matter in the state of unseen clouds of cold molecular hydrogen plus trace $\ce{H3+}$. Once warm enough to partially ionize, bright matter preferentially expels its net charge to become nearly charge-neutral. Planets surrounding stars become charge neutral as they bathe in a charge-neutral stellar wind. In contrast, around trace-charged AGNs, black holes, and pulsars,newly ionized protons along with a significant fraction of entrained dark matter are Coulomb-expelled to relativistic velocities in polar jets. Extrasolar cosmic rays generated by these would be strongly proton-dominated, as observed. Initial trace charge imbalances could originate at the onset of the the Big Bang by segregation of an electron-rich shell to peripheral expanding matter of the Universe.