Are Magnons a Telltale Sign of Dark Matter?

Might dark matter be found here on Earth? A new study suggests a new idea for one of the greatest mysteries in science

Dark matter is one of the greatest mysteries in astronomy and physics today, spurring both theoretical and observational research. No matter where astronomers look, star clusters and galaxies are bound together with far more gravitational pull than can be accounted for from the stars and other matter seen in these systems. The two most popular ideas of where this gravity stems from include ordinary diffuse matter (MACHOs), or undiscovered subatomic particles (WIMPs). Yet, both these ideas are challenged by observations.

Magnons — tiny particles smaller than any so far predicted by theories of WIMP — could be the telltale sign showing dark matter as a particle, a new study suggests. Such a particle could be found in a “hidden sector” of particles, much lighter than the masses being searched for in past studies.

A ring of dark matter holds together this cluster of galaxies, seen in by the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA, ESA, M.J. Jee and H. Ford (Johns Hopkins University)

Previous searches for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) focused exclusively on particles far more than predicted for magnons. Researchers searching for WIMP’s typically utilize large detectors, such as the XENON detector in Italy, containing 70,000 gallons of water.

“Dark matter is always flowing through us, even in this room. As we move around the center of…