Axion

Scientists working on CERN’s Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment have published the latest data in their search for a long-lived exotic particle known as the dark photon.Let’s Eat a Chocolate Xbox ControllerDark photons (also called hidden photons) differ from regular photons—particles of light—in that they are thought to have mass, making them a prime candidate to explain dark matter. Dark matter is the catchall term to describe seemingly invisible stuff in space that has only been observed via its gravitational…

Plasma could be wrangled to collide photons and yield matter, according to physicists who ran simulations to explore the practical applications of a world-famous equation.Gizmodo’s Top Five Gadgets of 2023The equation at work here is Einstein’s E = mc^2, which establishes a relationship between energy and mass; specifically, the equation holds that energy and mass are equivalent when the latter is multiplied by the speed of light, squared. A team led by scientists at Osaka University and UC San Diego recently simulated…

Astronomers looking at ancient light seen by the Webb Space Telescope have found three pinpricks that they think could be “dark stars,” theoretical objects powered by dark matter.First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopeDark matter makes up about 27% of the universe; its partner in ambiguity, dark energy, makes up about 68%. You can do the math: we know stunningly little of what makes up the universe and how it behaves. It’s in that zone of cosmic uncertainty that Webb’s latest targets pop up. The team’s research…

Axions are hypothetical elementary particles that, if they exist, would clean up a problematic exemption to a rule involving what's known as CP symmetry.As a bonus, their existence could also scrub out another perplexing mystery in science – the invisible added mass that helps galaxies cling together, known as dark matter.While there have been some tantalizing signs of their existence, physics is yet to confirm whether they are the solution we're looking for, or a mere bubble of wishful thinking.What is CP symmetry?The C…

Long tubes, strong magnets, and bright lasers. Is that all it takes to entice the shyest particles in the universe to reveal themselves?First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopePhysicists working on the ALPS II experiment certainly hope so, as they kicked off their search for axionic (or axion-like) dark matter on Tuesday, May 23. ALPS (Any Light Particle Search) is a 820-foot experiment at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, or DESY.ALPS II is looking for elementary particles that have as of yet eluded human…