Scientists make potential breakthrough in search for dark matter
Researchers say the 2.6-sigma signal could be the first hint of a weakly interacting massive particle, but more data is needed.
- On Tuesday, researchers with the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment announced detection of a single anomalous particle interaction, LZ230616, in their South Dakota-based xenon detector, marking a potential hint of dark matter.
- Housed 1.5 kilometers underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, the experiment uses 10 tonnes of ultrapure liquid xenon to block cosmic rays and minimize background noise that could obscure signals.
- Data analysis revealed 2.6-sigma significance, suggesting a WIMP-like particle with mass exceeding 200 proton masses, though the result falls short of the 5-sigma gold standard required for an official discovery.
- Lead author Dr. Sam Eriksen of the University of Bristol stated the signal is "very exciting," but emphasized the team is not claiming a discovery and is soliciting scientific community input.
- The collaboration will continue collecting data through 2028 to determine if the signal gains significance, while comparing results with detectors like XENON in Italy and PandaX in China.
53 Articles
53 Articles
Researchers are clear that they have not discovered dark matter, but the underground LUX-ZEPLIN experiment in South Dakota has recorded the most intriguing clue it has detected to date.
Scientists Intrigued by a Surprising Result in the Search for Dark Matter
Dark matter is the invisible stuff that accounts for roughly 85% of the mass in the universe, and for decades, physicists have been trying to figure out what it's made of. Now an experimental facility located nearly a mile below ground in South Dakota has recorded a single interaction between subatomic particles that doesn't match what's expected from normal matter. Has a dark-matter particle been detected at last? It's too early to say, but the…
The Seattle Times
cedarnews.netScientists hunting dark matter found something strange
The physicists are careful not to claim that they detected dark matter. But they are saying that the event doesn’t fit the description of any other known particle interaction in the subatomic world.
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