Physicists have detected a mysterious particle that could explain what dark matter is
Kyiv • UNN
The LUX-ZEPLIN detector recorded an event that could have been caused by a WIMP particle. Scientists emphasize that there is not yet sufficient evidence of a discovery.
Scientists conducting the underground LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment in the United States recorded a particle interaction that could potentially be linked to dark matter. BBC and ScienceAlert report this, UNN writes.
Details
Data from one of the world's most sensitive dark matter detectors were analyzed over two years by 250 scientists and engineers from 39 institutions in 6 countries. The detector is located more than 1.6 km underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota.
Researchers recorded an interaction that could have been caused by a weakly interacting massive particle—a WIMP. Such hypothetical particles are considered one of the possible candidates for dark matter.
Scientists are not yet talking about a discovery
The results have not yet undergone peer review, and the recorded event did not reach the required statistical threshold to rule out other possible explanations.
With only one event, we do not want to jump to conclusions. We are not claiming that we have seen dark matter. But we observed something interesting
Lead researcher Sam Eriksen suggested that the observation could become the "first step toward understanding dark matter as a particle." At the same time, further research may show that the recorded event is not related to dark matter at all.