Dark Matter Particles Detected – Mysterious subatomic particles that could be dark matter have been detected at the bottom of an old mine in Minnesota.
Scientists searching for traces of dark matter – which theoretically makes up most of the universe’s mass – believe they have detected it for the first time.
A team of physicists say detectors placed half a mile underground to shield them from cosmic rays appear to have captured two dark matter particles, the New York Times reports.
There is a one in four chance that the result may have been caused by some other effect, the physicists say, but if the find is confirmed, it will rank as one of the greatest discoveries in physics of the last century.
Says Cambridge astronomer Gerry Gilmore, “If they have a real signal, it’s a seriously big deal. The scale on which people are looking for dark matter is vast. Dark matter is what created the structure of the universe and is essentially what holds it together.”
The invisible, subatomic particles are the stuff that holds the rest of the universe together, scientists say, and could explain mysteries such as why time only moves in one direction.
The dark matter research team plans to install more sophisticated detectors in the mine next year.
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