Detecting dark matter particles and understanding their underlying physics is a long-standing research goal for many researchers worldwide. Dark matter searches have been aimed at detecting different possible signals that could be associated with the presence of these...
Astronomy
Neutron star cooling simulations set new constraints on light QCD axions
Neutron stars, the remnants of massive stars after a supernova explosion, have often been the focus of studies aimed at testing and unveiling exotic physics. This is because these stars are among the densest objects in the universe, so they host extremely high...
The LZ experiment’s first science run sets new constraints on dark matter interactions
The LUX ZEPLIN (LZ) Dark Matter experiment is a large research effort involving over 200 scientists and engineers at 40 institutions worldwide. Its key objective is to search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) by analyzing data collected by the LZ...
Search results for dark photon leptonic decays manage to exclude new regions
Dark photons are hypothetical particles that resemble light particles (i.e., photons), but interact weakly with normal matter, which would make them impossible or very difficult to detect using conventional experimental methods. These particles are dark matter...
First results from the Axion Dark-Matter Birefringent Cavity experiment establish a new technique for axion search
Researchers at MIT recently published the first results of an experiment aimed at searching for axion dark matter by probing the axion-induced birefringence of electromagnetic waves. While these findings, published in Physical Review Letters, did not...
Exploring the possibility of probing fundamental spacetime symmetries via gravitational wave memory
As predicted by the theory of general relativity, the passage of gravitational waves can leave a measurable change in the relative positions of objects. This physical phenomenon, known as gravitational wave memory, could potentially be leveraged to study both...
A three-step mechanism explaining ultraviolet-induced CO desorption from CO ice
The desorption of CO ice induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a phenomenon that occurs in some cold parts of the universe, which has often also been replicated in laboratory settings. While this phenomenon is now well-documented, the molecular mechanisms...
New constraints on the presence of ultralight dark matter in the Milky Way
Dark matter, composed of particles that do not reflect, emit or absorb light, is predicted to make up most of the matter in the universe. Its lack of interactions with light, however, prevents its direct detection using conventional experimental methods.
Study sets new constraints on the kinetic mixing of hidden photon dark matter
As dark matter is comprised of particles that do not absorb, emit or reflect light, it cannot be observed directly with the methods used to observe conventional matter. In recent years, astrophysicists worldwide have thus been devising methods that could help to...
Research group unveils properties of cosmic-ray sulfur and the composition of other primary cosmic rays
Charged cosmic rays, high-energy clusters of particles moving through space, were first described in 1912 by physicist Victor Hess. Since their discovery, they have been the topic of numerous astrophysics studies aimed at better understanding their origin,...