Table of Contents
How can we detect axions?
And according to a paper published in March, laboratory-made axions might have been detected for the first time by an experiment in Italy known as PVLAS (polarization of the vacuum with a laser). Axions are posited to have exceedingly low mass–less than a millionth that of an electron–and are electrically neutral.
Do axions exist?
Theoretically, axions can be created by other particles colliding or exist naturally as dark matter, which physicists believe makes up a large percentage of the universe that we cannot directly see. The discovery of axions would answer many questions about dark matter and other particle physics mysteries.
Who discovered axions?
Wilczek named this new hypothesized particle the “axion” after a brand of laundry detergent because it “cleaned up” a problem, while Weinberg called it “Higglet.” Weinberg later agreed to adopt Wilczek’s name for the particle. Because it has a non-zero mass, the axion is a pseudo-Nambu–Goldstone boson.
What are axions astronomy?
First theorized in the 1970s, axions are hypothetical particles that were proposed to preserve a time-reversal symmetry of the nuclear force. If axions exist, they would be expected to behave much like neutrinos in a star, as both would have very slight masses and interact only very rarely and weakly with other matter.
How does dark matter interact with gravity?
According to cosmologists’ prevailing theory, dark matter pervades pretty much every galaxy, providing the extra gravity that keeps stars from swirling out into space, given the speeds at which astronomers see the galaxies rotating.
Why is dark matter cold?
The standard model for dark matter is that it is ‘cold,’ meaning that the particles move slowly compared to the speed of light, Fassnacht said. This is also tied to the mass of dark matter particles. The lower the mass of the particle, the ‘warmer’ it is and the faster it will move.
Can axions be dark matter?
Axions “are excellent dark matter candidates,” said Asimina Arvanitaki, a theoretical physicist at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada.
Why dark matter might be axions?
Axions would clump together in exactly the ways we expect dark matter to, and they have just the right properties to explain why they’re so hard to find — namely, they’re extremely light and reluctant to interact with regular matter.
Why are axions cold?
axions are non-relativistic and therefore fall within the category of CDM. (CDM). This is a zero momentum condensate and so constitutes cold dark matter. If boson particles have very light mass and hence high density, they tend to go into a single quantum state.
How was dark matter Discovered?
The first real evidence for dark matter came in 1933, when Caltech’s Fritz Zwicky used the Mount Wilson Observatory to measure the visible mass of a cluster of galaxies and found that it was much too small to prevent the galaxies from escaping the gravitational pull of the cluster.
What are axions and why do they matter?
Theoretical physicists first proposed the existence of axions in the 1970s in order to resolve problems in the math governing the strong force, which binds particles called quarks together. But axions have since become a popular explanation for dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up 85\% of the mass of the universe, yet emits no light.
Did scientists discover axions for the first time?
Scientists say they may have observed axions for the very first time. The data is unconfirmed by outside observers, and the scientists themselves say their data could be from any of several other explanations, but the likelihood points toward axions. What’s an axion?
Could data from an underground lab reveal solar axions?
The dataset from an underground lab could show the existence of solar axions. Axions are a telltale solar or dark matter particle suggested by physicists, but never observed. This measured “excess” could be several things, including axions as well as new background noise.
Could solar axions be the answer to the search for dark matter?
This could be a monumental step in the search for dark matter. The dataset from an underground lab could show the existence of solar axions. Axions are a telltale solar or dark matter particle suggested by physicists, but never observed. This measured “excess” could be several things, including axions as well as new background noise.