Physicists from the Nuclear Physics Institute have outlined a fresh approach to detecting dark matter particles. The team led by GI Budkera at INP SB RAS introduced an alternative method for reading signals that might reveal dark matter interactions. This development has attracted attention within the research community and beyond, highlighting a potential path forward in the study of elusive matter.
Central to this work is a biphasic cryogenic detector that uses argon as the detection medium. The researchers demonstrated a concept that could make it possible to observe light emissions in the visible spectrum produced by dark matter interactions. This approach expands the traditional search strategy by exploring signals that may be visible to optical sensors, broadening the range of detectable events in the dark matter landscape.
The press service reported that experiments with the argon detector show the feasibility of searching for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, or WIMPs. These massive particles are leading candidates for dark matter due to their weak interactions with ordinary matter. The results from the Russian team have appeared in The European Physical Journal C and may inform a variety of dark matter projects underway in laboratories around the world.
Vladislav Oleinikov, a researcher at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that prior work left gaps in understanding how radiation mechanisms operate in the visible range. Their study advances knowledge of both electroluminescence and luminescence in this part of the spectrum.
As Oleinikov explained, the intensity of visible range radiation is typically lower than ultraviolet, yet a detectable electroluminescent signal could enable the observation of WIMPs with masses above 10 GeV/c2. If a particle is heavy enough, it can transfer sufficient energy to the argon core to produce a measurable signal. Without a spectrum shifter, recording the primary scintillations from WIMPs in the visible range is unlikely, though some experiments have managed to operate using only an electroluminescent signal. The researchers propose that future work could avoid the need for re-emitting materials by pursuing this alternative reading method, potentially enabling WIMP detection within a specific mass range.
A previously reported estimate from a Russian physicist at St. Petersburg State University suggested the possible presence of a second Higgs boson, a topic that continues to intrigue the science community as part of the ongoing effort to understand fundamental forces and particles. This line of inquiry intersects with dark matter research by exploring how new particles and interactions might manifest in experimental detectors and influence the signatures scientists seek in cryogenic environments.