In an underground tunnel on the border between France and Switzerland, at a depth of about 350 feet, lies the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), one of the most complex scientific instruments of today. This device, operated by CERN, is designed to collide protons at speeds close to the speed of light, creating conditions similar to those that existed just after the Big Bang.

One of the key goals of the LHC is the search for dark matter, a mysterious form of matter that makes up about 27% of the universe, yet has not been directly observed. Scientists, like physicist Ashutosh Kotwal, are trying to uncover the nature of this matter using sophisticated detectors that act as giant three-dimensional digital cameras. They continuously capture streams of particles created in proton collisions, hoping to spot invisible traces of dark matter.

The LHC allows researchers to search for dark matter using techniques such as "missing momentum." This refers to situations where there is a lack of energy and momentum in the detected particles, which may suggest the presence of invisible dark matter. Researchers analyze the data using sophisticated algorithms and artificial intelligence to filter millions of collisions and retain those that might contain hints of dark matter.

Recent research at the LHC includes the study of dark photons, hypothetical particles that could be produced by the decay of Higgs bosons. These dark photons are considered exotic because they do not belong to the standard model of particle physics. They could provide new insights into the structure of the universe and the nature of dark matter.

Additionally, the LHC has recently increased its collision energy to a record 13.6 TeV, allowing for deeper exploration of quark-gluon plasma, a state of matter that existed in the first few microseconds after the Big Bang. This research not only helps us understand the early moments of the universe but can also contribute to more precise measurements of the properties of dark matter and other exotic particles.

Despite significant progress, dark matter remains one of the greatest mysteries of modern physics. Scientists believe that its detection requires a combination of different approaches, including experiments in accelerators like the LHC, as well as astrophysical observations through telescopes on Earth and in space. Through these efforts, they hope to finally illuminate the dark side of the universe.

In addition to technological innovations in detectors, researchers plan to implement new systems such as "track trigger" algorithms, which use artificial intelligence to quickly identify and track transient particle traces. These systems enable the selection of the most important data in real-time, significantly increasing the efficiency of detecting potential evidence of dark matter.

Kotwal and his team are currently working on developing a prototype of this device, and it is expected that the complete system will be ready for installation in the LHC detectors in the coming years. With the continuous improvement of the performance of accelerators and detectors, scientists believe they are getting closer to answering the question of the existence and nature of dark matter.

This research is crucial for understanding the fundamental structure of the universe and could open the door to new physical theories that would expand our knowledge beyond the currently accepted standard model of particle physics.

Source: Duke University