Dark matter has and still is fascinating physicists. It is believed to make up a large amount of the universe and learning more about dark matter could help explain how the universe was made and came to be what we know today. According to scientists at CERN(the European Organization for Nuclear Research), 27% of the universe is believed to be made of dark matter. Dark matter’s properties are that it doesn’t absorb, reflect, or emit light which makes it very difficult to find. Scientists believe it exists because they have seen its gravitational pull-on other objects and examined how it helps bend light. Even though they believe dark matter is real, none can see it. However, a particle smasher called the Large Hadron Collider could help researchers understand and visualize dark matter. The machine was built over a decade and is used to help answer questions involving particle physics. Magnets are frozen to about -456 Fahrenheit with two particle beams traveling about the speed of light and colliding. Advanced sensors and monitors then help scientists analyze the substances created which have conditions similar to the aftermath of the Big Bang and thus allow them to learn about the earliest moments of the universe. Several upgrades to the machine now allow it to run at 13.6 trillion electron volts which allows the scientists to run bigger and better experiments.
According to The Washington Post, “at the beginning of the universe, particles did not have mass, so scientists have long questioned how stars, planets, and additional life were created.” Francois Englert, Peter Higgs, and others theorized that a force gave particles mass when they were joined. When the Large Hadron Collider is running, protons spin at nearly the speed of light. Scientists hope that when it collides, it will create new particles that resemble the properties of dark matter, so it is easier to find. The quest for dark matter is hard as it cannot be seen by the human eye, and it takes large machines to try to find it. Hopefully, the Large Hadron Collider can help find that dark matter that scientists are so excited about. And hopefully, the hunt for dark matter will take only a few years which leaves data collection and experiments to start around the same time.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1657469905951x897264529099337400/CERN%20researchers%20turn%20on%20Large%20Hadron%20Collider%20in%20dark%20matter%20quest%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
According to The Washington Post, “at the beginning of the universe, particles did not have mass, so scientists have long questioned how stars, planets, and additional life were created.” Francois Englert, Peter Higgs, and others theorized that a force gave particles mass when they were joined. When the Large Hadron Collider is running, protons spin at nearly the speed of light. Scientists hope that when it collides, it will create new particles that resemble the properties of dark matter, so it is easier to find. The quest for dark matter is hard as it cannot be seen by the human eye, and it takes large machines to try to find it. Hopefully, the Large Hadron Collider can help find that dark matter that scientists are so excited about. And hopefully, the hunt for dark matter will take only a few years which leaves data collection and experiments to start around the same time.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1657469905951x897264529099337400/CERN%20researchers%20turn%20on%20Large%20Hadron%20Collider%20in%20dark%20matter%20quest%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
