Physicists have built the first-ever lab model of a black hole bomb, a decades-old theory where spinning energy amplifies until it explodes.
Category: cosmology – Page 15
Scientists release underground dark matter experiment design
Researchers, students and science-lovers across the world now have access to the design of the globally significant SABRE South dark matter experiment in the lead up to its installation in the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory.
“The SABRE South Technical Design Report Executive Summary” was published in the Journal of Instrumentation in April.
The paper, published by the SABRE Collaboration, details the aims of the SABRE South experiment, which will provide data from the Southern Hemisphere to corroborate results seen in the DAMA/LIBRA Collaboration in Italy.
Combing Through the Sun’s Corona for Dark Matter
Researchers have turned NASA’s Parker Solar Probe into a dark-matter detector, taking advantage of its close encounters with the Sun to search for dark-photon signals.
Dark matter is an elusive but consequential substance. It accounts for 27% of the total energy content of the Universe and plays a crucial role in the formation of cosmic structures, acting as the skeleton for the “cosmic web” of galaxies [1]. However, its nongravitational interactions with known particles remain a mystery. Among the many types of dark-matter particles that have been proposed, a compelling candidate is the ultralight dark photon [2]. Just as the photon mediates the electromagnetic force between electrically charged particles, the dark photon would mediate interactions between a hypothetical set of dark particles. Researchers have previously looked for dark photons using lab-based particle detectors and Earth-bound telescopes. But now Haipeng An from Tsinghua University in China and his colleagues have utilized a unique vantage point next to the Sun to search for a dark-photon signal [3].
Hubble at 35: Unveiling a Universe of Dazzling Images and Deep Discoveries
Hubble’s 35-year journey showcases humanity’s boldest space achievements, capturing everything from new stars forming to ancient galaxies.
Its discoveries revolutionized our understanding of black holes, dark energy, and distant worlds, while its stunning images made space exploration a vivid, emotional experience for people worldwide.
Hubble’s 35th Anniversary: A Stunning Celestial Celebration.
Dark Matter: An 86-lb, 800-hp EV motor by Koenigsegg
There’s no replacement for displacement. An adage that’s been around as long as the combustion engine, really. But these age-old sayings don’t really apply anymore when it comes to electric motors.
Earlier this year, we talked about Koenigsegg’s Light Speed Tourbillon Transmission (LSTT). We explored how it couples the 5-liter, 1,500 horsepower (1,119 kW), 1,106 lb-ft (1,500 Nm) of torque, “Hot V8” engine shoed into the rear of the Gemera hypercar and the 850-volt Dark Matter electric motor mounted in the front – but we never got into the specifics of this insane electric powerplant and what makes it so remarkable.
Unveiled in 2023 and stuffed into the Koenigsegg Gemera, the Dark Matter motor created an entirely new league of high-performance electric motor that didn’t quite exist before. Most of its details are still hidden away in a secret Koenigsegg vault while awaiting patent protection.
What is dark energy? One of science’s great mysteries, explained
Dark energy makes up roughly 70% of the universe, yet we know nothing about it.
Around 25% of the universe is the equally mysterious dark matter, leaving just 5% for everything that we can see and touch—matter made up of atoms.
Dark energy is the placeholder name scientists have given to the unknown force causing the universe to expand faster and faster over time.
Einstein predicted how gravity should work at the largest scales. And he was right, suggests new research
When Albert Einstein introduced his theory of general relativity in 1915, it changed the way we viewed the universe. His gravitational model showed how Newtonian gravity, which had dominated astronomy and physics for more than three centuries, was merely an approximation of a more subtle and elegant model.
Einstein showed us that gravity is not a mere force but is rather the foundation of cosmic structure. Gravity, Einstein said, defined the structure of space and time itself.
But in the past century, we have learned far more about the cosmos than even Einstein could have imagined. Some of our observations, such as gravitational lensing clearly confirm general relativity, but others seem to poke holes in the model. The rotational motion of galaxies doesn’t match the predictions of gravity alone, leading astronomers to introduce dark matter.