Dark matter makes up 27 percent of the universe, while the tangible matter, the type here on Earth, makes up a mere 5 percent. Even so, scientists have still not found a way to visualize dark matter after decades. Ten years ago, they discovered a particle that unlocked the answers to the creation of the universe. They named the particle the Higgs Boson, or the ‘God particle.’ Now, researchers at CERN are using the Large Hadron Collider, a 17 mile-long particle accelerator, for the third time, with hopes of finding another groundbreaking particle.
CERN is now firing up the accelerator once again to prove the existence of dark matter. This type of matter cannot be seen or created, but many believe it exists somewhere in the universe. The objective of this experiment is to help better visualize what dark matter is.
Dark matter does not absorb, reflect, or emit light. Since the primary way for a human to understand something exists is to see it, its visual inaccessibility makes dark matter highly elusive. Researchers know dark matter exists, however, since they’ve witnessed its effect on gravity and light.
The researchers at CERN are hoping that the LHC can help. Located over 320 feet underground under the French-Swiss border near Geneva, its circumference spans over 15 miles. Superconductive magnets located inside the collider are cooled to -271.1 C, which is colder than outer space. Then, two particles are accelerated to near light speeds and collide. Highly advanced sensors and monitors allow scientists to then analyze the collision which is similar to the conditions of the Big Bang.
The LHC started working in late 2008 but was forced to shut down many times for repair. Engineers have upgraded the collider with better technology so it can detect more data. The accelerator now runs at 13.6 million eV.
Researchers want to learn more about how the Higgs Boson behaves. Just last week, CERN announced that they’ve discovered three new ‘exotic’ particles which would be vital to their quest to find out how subatomic particles merge.
This is a good sign; if the CERN scientists do not discover matter in four years, more upgrades will be necessary for the LHC. If this is the case, then data collection experiments will start in 2029.
“If we can figure out the properties of dark matter, we learn what our galaxy is made of,” comments Joshua Ruderman, an associate professor of physics at New York University. “It would be transformative.”
CERN is now firing up the accelerator once again to prove the existence of dark matter. This type of matter cannot be seen or created, but many believe it exists somewhere in the universe. The objective of this experiment is to help better visualize what dark matter is.
Dark matter does not absorb, reflect, or emit light. Since the primary way for a human to understand something exists is to see it, its visual inaccessibility makes dark matter highly elusive. Researchers know dark matter exists, however, since they’ve witnessed its effect on gravity and light.
The researchers at CERN are hoping that the LHC can help. Located over 320 feet underground under the French-Swiss border near Geneva, its circumference spans over 15 miles. Superconductive magnets located inside the collider are cooled to -271.1 C, which is colder than outer space. Then, two particles are accelerated to near light speeds and collide. Highly advanced sensors and monitors allow scientists to then analyze the collision which is similar to the conditions of the Big Bang.
The LHC started working in late 2008 but was forced to shut down many times for repair. Engineers have upgraded the collider with better technology so it can detect more data. The accelerator now runs at 13.6 million eV.
Researchers want to learn more about how the Higgs Boson behaves. Just last week, CERN announced that they’ve discovered three new ‘exotic’ particles which would be vital to their quest to find out how subatomic particles merge.
This is a good sign; if the CERN scientists do not discover matter in four years, more upgrades will be necessary for the LHC. If this is the case, then data collection experiments will start in 2029.
“If we can figure out the properties of dark matter, we learn what our galaxy is made of,” comments Joshua Ruderman, an associate professor of physics at New York University. “It would be transformative.”
