Dark energy is a mysterious form of energy that makes up about 68% of the universe, has intrigued physicists and astronomers for decades. Dark energy has been note as “the most profound mystery in all of science”.
By the advanced technologies and newer experiments, scientists have found certain clues about it and an international team of researchers made the first putative direct detection of dark energy.
Scientists notice certain unexpected results in an underground experiment and write that dark energy may be responsible for it.
The XENON1T experiment is the world’s most sensitive dark matter experiment and was operate deep underground at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy.
This also suggests that experiments like XENON1T, which are design to detect dark matter, could also be use to detect dark energy.
Dark Energy Vs Dark Matter
Everything we see the planets, moons, massive galaxies, you, me, this website makes up less than 5% of the universe.
About 27% is dark matter and 68% is dark energy.
While dark matter attracts and holds galaxies together, dark energy repels and causes the expansion of our universe.
The team constructed a physical model which use a screening mechanism known as chameleon screening, to show that dark energy particles produced in the Sun’s strong magnetic fields could explain the signal seen in XENON1T.
There are four fundamental forces in our universe, and speculative theories have propose a fifth force something that can’t be explain by the four forces.
To hide or screen this fifth force, many models for dark energy use special mechanisms.
When can we get direct detection of Dark Energy?
The Scientists are hopeful that upcoming upgrades to the XENON1T experiment and similar experiments such as LUX-Zeplin a next generation dark matter experiment located at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, and PandaX-xT another project at China Jinping Underground Laboratory could help directly detect dark energy within the next decade.
THANK YOU FOR READING.
