Dark matter has been found?

United States scientists published an article called, detectors appears twice really tiny fibrillation dark matter?

found scientists predicted result draw a three-dimensional map of dark matter. Information pictures

A "suspected" found that dark matter of news makes physics community excited.

United States "low temperature" dark matter detection (CDMS) project researchers recently announced that they have captured into dark matter particles. If this finding is confirmed, it eventually becomes the most important in the field of physics discovery.

1 indirect inference finds dark matter

What is dark matter?, scientists in the establishment of a model universe, found a problem: If this model make sense, suppose some energy and matter is we have not yet discovered.

They are known as the "dark energy" and "dark matter", which have in common is the "dark", do not glow, and typically matter role is very weak. According to this hypothesis, scientists generally felt that the energy in the universe of 95% is not a trivial matter and energy, approximately 72% is dark energy, 23% are dark matter. Imagine a man in the dark, he wore black clothes, you do not see him; if he straight to you charged that won't leave you knocked down, but shivered from your body in the past, how you found him a bit like dark matter?. Scientists think could have some clues will "sell" it to, for example, it may leave footprints, you may have, if it hurt, and may flow out to see blood, maybe someday it will hit the side of it cannot pass through the wall.

Since the "dark matter" of the theory was put forward, scientists have been working to find traces of the existence of dark matter.

In 1933, astronomers Ze wiki (Zwicky) found a galaxy clusters of galaxies speed faster than expected. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, this means that there are many galaxies we see no, at that time they called "scientists tube missing material". In 1975, it affirmed the Galaxy also contains a lot of dark matter, and by gravity to infer the existence of dark matter. In the second half of 2008, two independent experiment seems to be detected dark matter emitted electrons and positrons. Both of these experiments is ATIC and PAMELA respectively. ATIC is advanced ion calorimeter for short, and PAMELA is antimatter detection and light nuclei Astrophysics short satellite loading.

2 precision probes shake two shook

The above evidence, just using indirect methods to infer the existence of dark matter, but the recent cold dark matter detection experiments (CDMS) group in the journal nature published a paper called on, they may be directly detected dark matter hit the target.

Dark matter rarely and other subatance, why is able to detect it?, a researcher at the Institute of theoretical physics limiao said that dark matter although "difficult" but not "impossible" and other subatance. The vast majority of dark matter has a very big movement speed, because they are very small and other subatance, so nothing can make them slow down. The scientists hope that the dark matter in the role of heavy particle "weak" heavy particle (WIMP) at high speed through the universe can be hit on the CDMS probes.

Now CDMS detector has been developed to second-generation "CDMS-2".

CDMS-2 is located in the United States, Minnesota, in a deserted iron mine, 780 metres underground. Above ground can block most of the cosmic rays and x-rays. Test device detector target is a cooling to near absolute zero blocks of germanium, germanium and low temperature eliminates vibration of molecular itself, is one of the key technologies of CDMS. Scientists believe that this makes it possible to detect the WIMP on GE nuclear disturbance. In order to isolate any "unauthorized particles", CDMS is several layers of protective devices seal, one of the layersfrom a 100 years ago sunk wrecks and salvage out on France's 4.5 cm thickness lead block. The reason for this kind of "heritage"-lead blocks, because over the years, its isotopic decay radiation has become very weak, you can avoid it own radiation affect GE target. In this way, GE target in dark cold Chamber, if there was a slight vibration, it is most likely across the universe's dark matter "WIMP" through many barriers, and germanium target with the edge of "a hit." Thus, in two years, CDMS-2 detected two tiny fibrillation. CDMS shake, physicists with Tiger body a shock — Oh my God, the Lord personally appear dark matter?

3 irrefutable evidence needed more and more

Wait a minute, in charge of CDMS group ricciotti ·

Kure (JodiCooley) has stressed that they see two signal may just background noise. Because the instrument extremely precise, so some disturbance within may also be misread as dark matter "WIMP" response, the possibility of misreading? Kure think 25%. She says: "our results cannot be interpreted as WIMP and substances which play a role in the important evidence. " But at the same time, in her view, it cannot be completely denied two reading is the possibility of WIMP. In the journal nature published the article, CDMS group that only got 5 readings to find dark matter as "WIMP" irrefutable evidence.

7 December, CDMS group article in the journal nature published before someone in particle physics blog "resonance" (Resonaances) publishing news that dark matter has been found.

The news caused a chorus of this circle blog. So when we heard that "it is only when the legend"Can't help but feel disappointed. CDMS group said they would not accept everyone's hope, continue to look for dark matter cause to the end. They are now being installed "Super CDMS", it will be equipped with more GE target so that dark matter hit above and and GE Atom reacts possibilities will significantly increase. Super CDMS will in 2010 is installed, now we can do is wait.

Interviews/reporter Liu Zheng