Dark Matter is five times more prevalent compared to other ordinary matter in the universe. However, it doesn't interact well with other matter (including light), which makes it very difficult for scientists to detect it directly. But scientists found various ways to find the near-impossible to detect dark matter.

How to search for dark matter

Scientists can produce dark matter with CERN's Large Hardon Collider, or other high-energy particle accelerators, IFL Science reported. There are regions in space, like the centers of galaxies, where there is a concentrated number of dark matters. Scientists can look into these parts of space for decaying dark matter.

Scientists can also develop highly sensitive detectors to look for signals of dark matter. These detectors can see the signals when the dark matter particle collides with other ordinary matter. Scientist will build said detectors in the underground Stawell Gold Mine located in Victoria in January 2017. There have been various search projects for dark matter, but the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) project is the first one in the Southern Hemisphere.

The sensors are placed deep underground to avoid noise from cosmic rays from interfering the high-energy particles that constantly goes down to Earth.

Using Atom Clock

Scientists are also planning to use atomic clocks to understand dark matter. Atomic clocks are the most accurate clocks in the world. A group of physicists in Poland suggests that the "ticks' in an atomic clock could determine the influence of dark matter on other ordinary matter, Scientific American reported. Some scientists believe that dark matter is made of particles that are not within the boundaries of the Standard Model of Physics. Others believe that it is not made of particles but a field, like how gravity permeates through space.

Studying dark matter is important because it can help scientists unravel a lot of various cosmic mysteries.

Tags Dark matter