Scientists detect first potential signal from dark matter

Tengrinews.kz — A team of scientists led by Sam Eriksen of the University of Bristol has detected what may be the first signal of its kind from dark matter particles. The findings were presented at a high-energy astrophysics conference in Japan, according to Gazeta.Ru.
Dark matter makes up about 85 percent of all matter in the Universe, but it has never been detected directly. It does not emit light and reveals itself only through gravity. To detect extremely rare collisions between dark matter particles and ordinary matter, scientists use a detector containing 10 tonnes of ultra-pure liquid xenon, located deep underground to shield it from interference.
It was this detector, the largest of its kind in the world, that recorded a single unusual event that cannot be explained by known background sources and occurred precisely in the region where a signal from dark matter particles would be expected.
Scientists analyzed data from 220 days of observations, from March 2023 to April 2024, and identified one event that stood out from the background. Its statistical significance was 2.6 sigma, meaning the probability of a random coincidence was about 0.5 percent.
The event could correspond to a so-called WIMP particle with a mass of at least 200 gigaelectronvolts, more than 200 times heavier than a proton. However, it is still too early to speak of a discovery. In particle physics, an official claim requires a significance of 5 sigma, and a single signal could still turn out to be a rare but explainable background event.
Scientists stress that, for now, this is only an intriguing clue rather than proof. Further observations will help test it: if the signal is real, it should become stronger as more data are collected; if it is a statistical fluctuation, it will disappear.

“For now, the decades-long hunt for dark matter continues, and its outcome could determine our understanding of what the Universe is actually made of,” the outlet noted.