Will We Find Dark Matter On Earth?
We usually think of dark matter out in space, at least I do. But if you think about it, if dark matter is out there … should it not be here on Earth as well?
That’s what the scientists in the below video thought, so they set up an experiment to find out.
But this is no ordinary experiment, and it is done at the “quietest” place they could find on Earth to avoid cosmic ray interference … 4850 below the surface in an old abandon gold mine, now the site of the Sanford Underground Research Facility.
With only one or maybe two events a year that they think may be dark matter interacting with real matter, it’s bit like looking for a single drop of water in Lake Superior.
And it’s a race to be the first to definitively discover that elusive material called dark matter. Why? … it accounts for over 90% of the matter in our galaxy and we know nothing about it yet except its gravitational effects (and a bunch of theories about it using particle physics).
This is truly fascinating science and well worth a watch and a share …
Deep in an abandoned gold mine in rural South Dakota, a team of physicists are hunting for astrophysical treasure. Their rare and elusive quarry is dark matter, a theoretical particle which has never been seen or directly detected. Yet its gravitational effect on distant galaxies hints at its existence and provides ample evidence to fuel the experiments and aspirations of scientists at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. Insulated by 4,850 feet of rock, the researchers have constructed the world’s most sensitive particle detector, known as the Large Underground Xenon Experiment, or “LUX.” Their goal is to use this complex device to capture an epiphanous event: the interaction between dark matter and atoms inside a chilled tank of liquid xenon. If they’re successful, the researchers may not only solve some of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics but affirm their faith in the nature of dark matter.
Video Source: Science Friday channel on YouTube
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