Dark matter is something scientists thought was real for a long time. It makes up a large part of our universe. Still, nobody, to this day, could find hope to a way that can scientifically prove the existence of this mysterious substance.
Until, perhaps, now.
Ten years before, the world’s largest particle collider discovered the “God particle,” something that possibly clues to the beginnings of the universe. Now, it is on its way to possibly make another world-changing discovery: whether dark matter exists.
World-changing. Joshua Ruderman, associate professor of physics at New York University, explains why. “If we can figure out the properties of dark matter, we learn what our universe is made of,” he said. “It would be transformative.”
According to CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), twenty-seven percent of our universe is made of dark matter. It might seem like a small number when it’s supposed to be “the majority of our universe.” Then again, planets and stars only make up around five percent. An article published in the Washington Post explained that the reason such a large part of our world—one can put it as—is undiscovered and uncertain is because dark matter doesn’t absorb light. It doesn’t reflect light. It also doesn’t emit light. The reason scientists believe in their existence is because they have seen the gravitational pull on objects and have also seen it help bend light.
Now CERN turns to the Large Hadron Collider.
Located 328 feet below ground, the particle collider was built over the course of a decade and has a circumference of nearly seventeen miles. It was built to help scientists better understand the beginning of the universe since it creates a condition similar to the Big Bang—the theoretical creation of our universe. Now after three years of upgrading, the collider can run at 13.6 trillion electron volts, the highest it has ever achieved—this also means scientists can run bigger experiments on it. When the collider fires up, the protons will spin at the speed of light, and scientists hope the collision will create new particles, ones that have properties which resemble dark matter.
The results are exciting, said Ruderman. “It’s why I wake up in the morning.” Even if the collision successfully produces new particles, it will take time to tell if it is dark matter. Then in-depth observance can tell if it does emit light. “It can take more than four years to make the discovery,” Ruderman said.
But it’s worth waiting for.
Until, perhaps, now.
Ten years before, the world’s largest particle collider discovered the “God particle,” something that possibly clues to the beginnings of the universe. Now, it is on its way to possibly make another world-changing discovery: whether dark matter exists.
World-changing. Joshua Ruderman, associate professor of physics at New York University, explains why. “If we can figure out the properties of dark matter, we learn what our universe is made of,” he said. “It would be transformative.”
According to CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), twenty-seven percent of our universe is made of dark matter. It might seem like a small number when it’s supposed to be “the majority of our universe.” Then again, planets and stars only make up around five percent. An article published in the Washington Post explained that the reason such a large part of our world—one can put it as—is undiscovered and uncertain is because dark matter doesn’t absorb light. It doesn’t reflect light. It also doesn’t emit light. The reason scientists believe in their existence is because they have seen the gravitational pull on objects and have also seen it help bend light.
Now CERN turns to the Large Hadron Collider.
Located 328 feet below ground, the particle collider was built over the course of a decade and has a circumference of nearly seventeen miles. It was built to help scientists better understand the beginning of the universe since it creates a condition similar to the Big Bang—the theoretical creation of our universe. Now after three years of upgrading, the collider can run at 13.6 trillion electron volts, the highest it has ever achieved—this also means scientists can run bigger experiments on it. When the collider fires up, the protons will spin at the speed of light, and scientists hope the collision will create new particles, ones that have properties which resemble dark matter.
The results are exciting, said Ruderman. “It’s why I wake up in the morning.” Even if the collision successfully produces new particles, it will take time to tell if it is dark matter. Then in-depth observance can tell if it does emit light. “It can take more than four years to make the discovery,” Ruderman said.
But it’s worth waiting for.
