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More than a hundred years after his theory, physicists have not yet discovered solid evidence of a dark matter particle, despite the many experiments conducted in search of it. Most physicists are sure he is there, but the more they try, the greater his frustration.
What's stopping us from discovering dark matter? Rapidly evolving technology has exponentially improved all projects, integrating dark matter particles into a possible form of existence that is increasingly reduced as certain types of dark matter are removed from the potential list. This is of course very useful, but a couple of researchers think that this hyper-focus could oppose our search for these elusive particles. According to Annika Peter of Ohio State University, teamwork between two camps will be the key to discovering dark matter in the future.
Communication failure
Physicists use two methods to discover dark matter, which differ greatly. Particle physics focuses on the small-scale world – the subatomic properties of matter – while astronomy focuses on the large-scale world – distant regions of the universe that we can explore at using telescopes and signal detectors. Naturally, they use different approaches.
"The language and tools that we [physicists and astronomers] the use tends to be very different, "says Peter, assistant professor of physics and astronomy. "Particle physicists are very interested in defining the microphysical properties of dark matter, such as the properties of dark matter particles. Astronomers focus on the macroscopic properties of dark matter, such as its distribution in the universe and how it can be said to be present. "
Two approaches are not a flaw in themselves, but since researchers have not found any compelling evidence of dark matter, Peter and his colleague, Matthew Buckley, theoretical physicist at Rutgers University, believe that unite these Areas of study could help researchers to search for discovery. .
"If you do not know that dark matter can have interesting interactions that we do not yet realize, then as an astronomer, you will not be looking for them," Buckley says. "If you are not aware of the relevance of new astronomical surveys for the formation of galaxies, then as a particle physicist, you will not spend time thinking about what it can teach you about dark matter." . "
Peter credits her diverse background as a physics student to helping her navigate this path.
"I was a graduate student in physics, but I loved astronomy and followed some astronomy courses for fun," Peter explains. "I felt like I had a solid base in physics but also in astronomy. I have the impression that this magnitude has really been a force. "
In their article, Peter and Buckley discuss the history of dark matter research and major advances in particle physics and astronomy. (Here you will find a shorter and more user-friendly blog post.)
"I think we're seeing a new wave of big jumps now," says Peter. "One of the objectives of this document is therefore to describe, for those looking for this type of opportunity in astrophysics and cosmology, the opportunities that could be found."
It would be a shame to assume that we would automatically be able to detect dark matter in a laboratory just because we were looking for it. Perhaps dark matter interacts only with the effects of gravitation, or perhaps there is a "standard pattern of dark matter" similar to the standard model of normal matter used by scientists to describe the universe. This is where astronomy comes into play, in order to refine its properties according to the gravitational interactions with matter that we can see.
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