The Standard Model is one of the most well-tested theories in particle physics. But scientists are searching for new physics beyond it.
dark matter
In particle physics, “annihilation” is a transformation.
A technique from the newest generation of quantum sensors is helping scientists to use the limitations of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle to their advantage.
Physicists are revisiting what they previously assumed about how dark matter interacts with itself.
From Wired, December 5, 2021: Years of conflicting measurements have led physicists to propose a “dark sector” of invisible particles that could explain dark matter and the universe’s expansion. Now, four analyses released yesterday by the MicroBooNE experiment from Fermilab and another recent study from the IceCube detector at the South Pole both suggest that these more complex neutrino theories may be on the right track—though the future remains far from clear.
From Forbes, October 27, 2021: Fermilab’s Don Lincoln discusses the journey of the hypothetical sterile neutrino and the results of the MicroBooNE experiment hosted at Fermilab. Have sterile neutrinos been ruled out?
From Sanford Underground Research Facility, October 25, 2021: SURF will be hosting a gameshow-themed event. as part of the virtual event, “Deep Talks: Are you smarter than a dark matter physicist?” on Thursday, Oct. 28, from 6 to 7 p.m. MT. All are invited to attend the event where the audience will take part in a quiz about dark matter and the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) dark matter experiment.
From The Naked Scientists, October 12, 2021: Scientists at Fermilab may have uncovered something in muons beyond our understanding-an interview with Fermilab’s Brendan Casey on Muon g-2 and the magnetic strength of muons, their strange behavior, and how they could change our understanding of the universe.
The answer has to do with dark matter’s role in shaping the cosmos.
Even experiments that aren’t looking for dark matter directly, such as Muon g-2, could give us hints about the mysterious substance that permeates our universe.