Scientists are focusing their efforts deep underground on dark matter, one of the most difficult targets of modern science. They have created huge tanks of liquid xenon in subterranean laboratories, both in the US and Italy. The detectors are sensitive and can detect subatomic collisions which could reveal this mysterious material.Researchers acknowledge however that current detectors have reached their limits and warn that they may not be able to detect dark matter. This could force them to reevaluate their understanding of the cosmos.Professor Chamkaur Ghag, University College London physicist, stated that dark matter is responsible for approximately 85% of the universe's mass. However, despite having more powerful detectors, we have not been capable of finding it. Our detectors are getting closer to their limits. If they don't find dark matter within the next few years, it may be time to admit that something is wrong with our thinking about the universe and gravity.Last century was the start of the hunt for dark matter. Astronomers discovered that galaxies were rotating too fast to stay stable. They must be 10 times more massive than the visible contents of stars, planets, and dust clouds to prevent them from bursting apart.Professor Chamkaur Ghag says that it could be that we were searching for our keys underneath the street lamp. Dark matter may be more bizarre than we think. Photograph by John Gaffen/AlamyDark matter is the missing material that generates extra gravity to keep galaxies connected was called this. It was initially believed to be composed of stars too dim or small to be visible from Earth, or other candidates like neutron stars. These possibilities were disproven by newer telescopes.Scientists shifted from the astronomically huge to the incredibly tiny to explain the universe's missing mass. They argued that a vast number of undiscovered particles create invisible halos around galaxies, which boosts their gravitational fields. These hypothetical particles are known as wimps weakly interconnected massive particles, and researchers have been trying to find them for over two decades.This involved the construction of detectors deep underground, which are protected from subatomic particles that can be triggered by cosmic radiations hitting Earth's upper atmosphere. These would cause false positive readings to their instruments.Ghag stated that it was expected that a wimp would strike a xenon nuclear nucleus, and the resulting flash will be spotted and detected by a detector. This will reveal whether or not there is dark matter wimps. However, despite years of efforts, we have not seen a single flash like this. We need more sensitivity.Researchers are now focusing their efforts on two of the most sensitive wimp-hunters ever created. One of them is known as XENONnT. It was built in the Gran Sasso mountains of Italy. Lux-Zeplin was built in an old South Dakota mine. The devices were filled with a lot more xenon than any other device, which should increase the chance of a wimp striking a nucleus.Ghag, who is a member the Lux-Zeplin group, stated that both devices are currently being tested and will be ready for use in operational trials within a few months. It is possible that we may have found dark matter during this period, which would be very encouraging news. Both devices can be used for many years without interruption if they are not. Basically, the more xenon in our detectors and the longer they are run, the greater the chances of collisions and dark matter being detected.It is now known that dark matter is possible, but it is unlikely. Mariangela Lisanti from Princeton University, New Jersey, stated recently in Science: After these next-generation detectors are run, the wimp hypothesis will be faced with its true reckoning.Before being put underground, the Lux-Zeplin detector is sealed.Lux-Zeplin or XENONnT will not be able to locate Wimps. The two scientists teams will have one last chance to use the current technology to find them. They will join forces to create a super-large detector which would contain tens to tonnes of xenon. This rare and costly gas is difficult to isolate and would be used for many years.Scientists would be baffled if the last-chance detector fails in finding dark matter. Their machines would become more sensitive if they were flooded by signals from the neutrino subatomic particle. These particles rain down on Earth in trillions of units every second. There are other options.Ghag suggested that it could be possible that we were searching for wimps and found our keys under the streetlamp. It could be dark matter, which is a lot more bizarre than we think. It could be made up of tiny black holes. It could also be made from something that is a million times more light than a wimp, and it will be difficult to detect. We will need to be more sophisticated in our detection efforts.It may seem redundant to try and find a form that interacts with normal matter. Dark matter's pervasive gravitational influence would have prevented galaxies, stars and planets from surviving the beginning of the universe. Without it, life would have never evolved. Scientists continue to explore its true nature.
