Science isn’t scary, but it can be scary! For Halloween, we’re highlighting some “spooky” research that the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science supports. In fact, the physics community celebrates Dark Matter Day on Halloween! We hope this overview puts you in the mood to dig a little deeper into the wonders that surround you.
Dark Matter
The discovery that the ordinary matter around us makes up only 5 percent of the energy mass of the universe may be surprising and even surprising! But it’s true. Most matter is dark matter that interacts with ordinary matter only through gravity. Like a ghostly presence, scientists can only “see” dark matter by what it affects. Even our most sensitive instruments have yet to detect a speck of dark matter. Right now, researchers are working and developing ever more sensitive detectors to try to catch a glimpse of this elusive particle. Learn more in the Direct Current podcast episode about dark matter and ask physicists from the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory questions in a live Q&A on YouTube on Wednesday, October 30.
“Ghost” particles.
Physicists call neutrinos “ghost particles” because of their mysterious nature and lack of interaction with other particles. In fact, they interact with so little that millions are walking past you right now without noticing. Unlike dark matter, scientists have discovered neutrinos. However, there is still a great deal that we do not know about them. Our best model of how the universe works – called the Standard Model of Particle Physics – predicts that neutrinos should have no mass. Yet they do. Another mystery is why neutrinos change type as they travel. As neutrinos move through space and Earth, they shift between three different types. If scientists can understand why neutrinos drift, it could help answer some of the biggest questions in physics. Learn more from our DOE Explains…Neutrino page and blog post Digging into Neutrino Research.
Quantum entanglement
When Albert Einstein referred to a phenomenon as “tremorous action at a distance,” you know it’s unusual. Quantum entanglement is a property unique to the way particles interact at the smallest levels. At the size of atoms and smaller, particles act in ways that are different and even contrary to how we experience physics on larger scales. Quantum entanglement is when two or more quantum states of particles are bound. If the state of one particle is measured, the state of the other is fixed – no matter how far apart they are. Scientists are exploiting entanglement and other quantum properties to develop new types of computers, sensors and networks. These quantum technologies can solve some problems faster and more effectively than classical ones. Learn more about entanglement on our DOE Explains…Quantum Mechanics page.
Investigating Zombies with Muons
Muons are another type of fundamental particle that have surprising properties. They are the heavier cousins of the more familiar electrons. Muons on Earth arise naturally from cosmic rays colliding with particles as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Like neutrinos, muons can pass through almost any substance on Earth unchanged. This makes them ideal for archaeological purposes. In fact, scientists have used muons to look inside the pyramids in Egypt and Mexico!
Microbial “dark matter”.
While there is dark matter throughout the universe, microbial dark matter exists mostly in the ground beneath our feet. Many bacteria, fungi, viruses and other small organisms that scientists have not yet studied are much larger than the ones we have studied. By analyzing the genes of this large group of microorganisms, we can better understand their ecological roles and functions. Some of them may also be useful in technologies such as bioenergy. The DOE Joint Genome Institute user facility has been a leader in expanding the diversity of microbes studied. The recent winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, David Baker, has conducted recent research in this area. His team was supported at a number of DOE Office of Science user facilities, including JGI and the Energy Research Scientific Computing Center.
Nocturnal animals
The campuses of our national laboratories are not only spaces for innovative research. Many also provide important habitat for animals, including owls, raccoons and coyotes. In fact, the 33,000 acres surrounding DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are home to more than 1,500 species of plants and animals, including more than a dozen species of bats! The laboratory takes great care to ensure that its infrastructure does not endanger important habitat. When engineers and technicians were laying the huge power lines to support the Frontier exascale supercomputer, they timed construction around bats’ migratory patterns. Recently, ORNL created an artificial habitat for endangered bats that is 3D printed with an ecological composite.
