China operates the largest and deepest dark matter laboratory in the world

The deepest and largest underground laboratory in the world is put into operation in China. /(Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)

Photo: Xinhua/Xu Bingjie

At a depth of 2,400 meters is a large physics laboratory where a group of Chinese scientists are trying to learn more about dark matter, a type of matter that is as abundant as it is mysterious. It is thought to make up about 27% of the universe, compared to 5% of baryonic matter (the “normal” matter that makes up stars, planets, and gas) and 68% of dark energy, the form of energy thought to be responsible for expansion of space. universe. Yet its nature remains a mystery.

Hence the importance of labs like the one that opened a few months ago in Sichuan, a southwestern Chinese province. According to the country, the depth of the lab helps block most of the cosmic rays that interfere with observations. Dark matter is a form of matter that does not emit, absorb, or reflect electromagnetic light, meaning it cannot be directly detected by traditional observational methods. Although it is not visible, indirect evidence of its existence has been accumulated through astronomical observations and studies of the large-scale structure of the universe.

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Construction of the Deep Underground Ultra-Low Background Radiation Facility for Advanced Physics Experiments (DURF), as the lab is known, began in December 2020 and was led by Tsinghua University and Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd. to become a world-class deep underground scientific research center that will integrate various disciplines, including particle physics, nuclear astrophysics and life sciences, to facilitate the development of research in relevant cutting-edge fields,” quoted Professor Yue Qian from Tsinghua University. As reported by China’s official news agency Xinhua.

Various particles have been proposed as candidates for dark matter, but the type of particle has not yet been unequivocally identified. Experiments in particle physics and astronomical observations continue to search for direct evidence that may reveal the true nature of dark matter. The DURF Lab is trying to help provide some answers.