On Tuesday, July 5, 2022, in an underground tunnel near the city of Geneva, Switzerland, researchers from the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, launched the Large Hadron Collider for the third time with the hopes of proving the existence of dark matter.
Within the massive collider, superconducting magnets are cooled to around -456 degrees Fahrenheit while two subatomic particle beams collide at the speed of light. While the machine is running, scientists can analyze the substances created by those Big Bang-like collisions and gain insight into the mysteries of the universe.
Regarding the capabilities of the collider, Gian Giudice, the head of CERN’s theory department, states, “High-energy colliders remain the most powerful microscope at our disposal to explore nature at the smallest scales and to discover the fundamental laws that govern the universe.” After many improvements over the past 14 years, the collider operates at a record high of 13.6 trillion electron volts and can capture significantly more data.
Since the collider started working in September 2008, scientists have made many discoveries. For instance, in 2012, the researchers at CERN used the collider to discover the Higgs boson particle. The “God particle” became its nickname because it was integral to the scientific understanding of the creation of the universe.
Before the end of the first day, scientists observing the collider’s third run found three new particles that could explain how subatomic particles bind together.
Despite this successful discovery, the main objective of the current four-year collider experiment is finding visual evidence of dark matter. Joshua Ruderman, an associate professor of physics at New York University, believes, “If we can figure out the properties of dark matter, we learn what our galaxy [is composed of]. It would be transformative.” The researchers at CERN think similarly, predicting that around 27 percent of the universe contains dark matter.
The existence of dark matter is difficult to prove because it does not reflect, absorb, or emit light. So far, all the evidence scientists have is the gravitational pull it has on some objects in space and its ability to bend light. However, if dark matter were to be created and observed, it could provide insights into the creation and evolution of the universe.
To assess if a new particle is a form of dark matter, the researchers need to identify whether the particle emits light and how quickly it decays. If the particle does not emit light and decays slowly, it is probably a dark matter particle.
If CERN scientists do not discover dark matter in the next four years, they will probably implement more upgrades for three years and start the fourth run in 2029.
The current collider experiment has the best chance of finding dark matter. However, according to Ruderman and many other scientists, “[discovering the mysteries of the universe] is hard, and something that could take a whole lifetime of exploration.”
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1657469905951x897264529099337400/CERN%20researchers%20turn%20on%20Large%20Hadron%20Collider%20in%20dark%20matter%20quest%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
https://home.cern/news/news/cern/third-run-large-hadron-collider-has-successfully-started
https://home.cern/science/accelerators/high-luminosity-lhc
https://home.cern/resources/faqs/facts-and-figures-about-lhc
https://home.cern/science/physics/dark-matter
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/as-run-3-begins-cern-touts-discovery-of-exotic-particles/2022/07/05/4240ee9a-fc95-11ec-b39d-71309168014b_story.html
Within the massive collider, superconducting magnets are cooled to around -456 degrees Fahrenheit while two subatomic particle beams collide at the speed of light. While the machine is running, scientists can analyze the substances created by those Big Bang-like collisions and gain insight into the mysteries of the universe.
Regarding the capabilities of the collider, Gian Giudice, the head of CERN’s theory department, states, “High-energy colliders remain the most powerful microscope at our disposal to explore nature at the smallest scales and to discover the fundamental laws that govern the universe.” After many improvements over the past 14 years, the collider operates at a record high of 13.6 trillion electron volts and can capture significantly more data.
Since the collider started working in September 2008, scientists have made many discoveries. For instance, in 2012, the researchers at CERN used the collider to discover the Higgs boson particle. The “God particle” became its nickname because it was integral to the scientific understanding of the creation of the universe.
Before the end of the first day, scientists observing the collider’s third run found three new particles that could explain how subatomic particles bind together.
Despite this successful discovery, the main objective of the current four-year collider experiment is finding visual evidence of dark matter. Joshua Ruderman, an associate professor of physics at New York University, believes, “If we can figure out the properties of dark matter, we learn what our galaxy [is composed of]. It would be transformative.” The researchers at CERN think similarly, predicting that around 27 percent of the universe contains dark matter.
The existence of dark matter is difficult to prove because it does not reflect, absorb, or emit light. So far, all the evidence scientists have is the gravitational pull it has on some objects in space and its ability to bend light. However, if dark matter were to be created and observed, it could provide insights into the creation and evolution of the universe.
To assess if a new particle is a form of dark matter, the researchers need to identify whether the particle emits light and how quickly it decays. If the particle does not emit light and decays slowly, it is probably a dark matter particle.
If CERN scientists do not discover dark matter in the next four years, they will probably implement more upgrades for three years and start the fourth run in 2029.
The current collider experiment has the best chance of finding dark matter. However, according to Ruderman and many other scientists, “[discovering the mysteries of the universe] is hard, and something that could take a whole lifetime of exploration.”
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1657469905951x897264529099337400/CERN%20researchers%20turn%20on%20Large%20Hadron%20Collider%20in%20dark%20matter%20quest%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
https://home.cern/news/news/cern/third-run-large-hadron-collider-has-successfully-started
https://home.cern/science/accelerators/high-luminosity-lhc
https://home.cern/resources/faqs/facts-and-figures-about-lhc
https://home.cern/science/physics/dark-matter
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/as-run-3-begins-cern-touts-discovery-of-exotic-particles/2022/07/05/4240ee9a-fc95-11ec-b39d-71309168014b_story.html
