The Secret of Dark Matter Could Be Soon Revealed by Atomic Clocks
Physicists have struggled to make sense of dark matter for decades. Their work has been disrupted, puzzled, and troubled by this dark matter. Even if we haven’t seen it with our own eyes, we may nevertheless see the consequences it has on the universe, which are massive. Unfortunately, none of the existing models of physics can provide an explanation for what we can observe. This is quite frustrating. But that’s going to change really soon! Atomic clocks have been proposed as a method of investigation by a group of academics hailing from the University of Sussex and the National Physical Laboratory in the United Kingdom. These researchers believe that these low-mass particles could be responsible for the existence of the enigmatic substance. Really quite remarkable!
Discover the full details below.
What is an Atomic Clock, Anyway?
In addition to the fact that they can keep time with a precision that is unrivaled throughout billions of years, atomic clocks provide scientists with a vast array of other benefits. They have been utilized, for instance, in the measurement of gravitational redshift, which refers to the way in which gravity may affect time. Atomic clocks determine the passage of time by tracking the virtually undetectable vibrations of atoms as they transition between different energy levels. Because of this, even the slightest disturbance to these oscillations, such as that caused by an extremely light dark matter component, may be detected.
Therefore, the researchers want to exploit the detectors’ mind-boggling degree of accuracy to detect the slightest of energy oscillations, with the hope of perhaps discovering a means to monitor some forms of dark matter. That is just astounding in every way!
How exactly is it going to play out?
The fine-structure constant, which defines how strongly electrons are drawn to protons inside an atom, and the electron-to-proton proportion, which reflects the ‘heaviness’ of atoms, were both investigated in this specific study. The fine-structure constant specifies how powerful electrons are drawn to protons within an atom. In the end, however, seemingly little shifts in the striking of an atomic clock might have far-reaching consequences for the field of physics.
The next thing that has to be done is to begin a study where two atomic clocks can be compared to one another. One of the clocks should be one that is somewhat more vulnerable to fluctuations in what is referred to as fundamental constants, which are the amounts of constants that the principles of the universe are built on. Who can predict what will come next?!
Tiesha loves to share her passion for everything that’s beautiful in this world. Apart from writing on her beauty blog and running her own beauty channel on Youtube, she also enjoys traveling and photography. Tiesha covers various stories on the website.
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