Scientists are set to unleash a powerful new dark matter detector buried deep beneath the French Alps, expanding the hunt for the universe’s invisible mass.
The detector, designed by an international team including Johns Hopkins University researchers, aims to identify potential dark matter candidates beyond current search parameters. It could confirm or rule out particles thought to make up 85% of cosmic matter.
Dark matter, while outweighing visible matter by 5 to 1, remains undetectable by ordinary means because it barely interacts with light. However, astronomers know it exists due to its gravitational effects on galaxies.
Traditional detectors have sought WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) using heavy atoms like xenon. Yet, after 40 years, no definitive signal has appeared. Scientists now suspect lighter particles — “WIMPier than WIMPs” — may be the real culprits.
To detect these lighter candidates, researchers built DAMIC-M, a system using advanced silicon skipper CCDs. These sensors can spot signals as faint as single electrons recoiling from dark matter interactions.
Shielded by 1.2 miles of bedrock, copper, and ancient lead, the French Alps facility minimizes background noise. The prototype uses eight sensors, but the full-scale experiment will feature 208 CCDs, making it the world’s most sensitive detector for light dark matter particles.
“Trying to detect dark matter is like hearing a whisper in a stadium,” researcher Danielle Norcini explained. “With DAMIC-M, we’re finally mapping unexplored territory.”
The project could redefine cosmology by proving or disproving long-standing theories, marking a historic leap in the dark matter search.
