In the quest to understand the universe’s mysterious dark matter, a team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other institutions has explored a novel approach to detect ultralight dark matter using a technique called Mössbauer spectroscopy. This method, known for its exceptional energy resolution, could potentially probe the interactions between dark matter and atomic nuclei, offering new insights into the fundamental forces of nature.
The researchers, led by Peng-Long Zhang and including Yu-Ming Yang, Xiao-Jun Bi, Qin Chang, Yu Gao, Hai-Bo Li, Wei Xu, and Peng-Fei Yin, investigated the feasibility of using a stationary Mössbauer spectroscopy scheme to detect ultralight scalar dark matter. Their findings, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, demonstrate that this technique could be a promising and competitive approach for exploring the interactions between dark matter and Standard Model particles.
Mössbauer spectroscopy is a highly sensitive technique that can detect minute energy shifts in atomic nuclei. The researchers proposed that these energy shifts could be induced by the local dark matter field, providing a potential signature of dark matter interactions. By using a stationary measurement scheme, they found that data acquisition could be faster and more efficient, particularly for higher dark matter masses in the range of 10^{-15} to 10^{-8} electron volts (eV).
The study focused on three candidate Mössbauer isotopes: Ag-109, Sc-45, and Zn-67. Among these, Ag-109 showed the highest sensitivity, followed by Zn-67. For Ag-109, the researchers projected that the scalar dark matter photon coupling could be constrained down to the level of 10^{-18} GeV^{-1}, surpassing the sensitivity of several existing experiments. Additionally, the scalar dark matter gluon coupling could be probed down to 10^{-21} GeV^{-1}, and the scalar dark matter quark coupling could reach approximately 10^{-22} GeV^{-1}.
While the practical applications of this research for the energy sector are not immediate, the findings contribute to the broader understanding of dark matter and its potential interactions with ordinary matter. This knowledge could inform future developments in energy technologies that rely on fundamental physics, such as advanced materials and energy storage solutions. Moreover, the enhanced sensitivity of Mössbauer-based techniques could have implications for other areas of research, including materials science and condensed matter physics.
In summary, the study by Zhang and colleagues presents a novel approach to detecting ultralight dark matter using Mössbauer spectroscopy. Their findings highlight the potential of this technique to probe the interactions between dark matter and Standard Model particles, offering new avenues for exploration in fundamental physics and potentially influencing future energy technologies. The research was published in Physical Review Letters, a prestigious journal in the field of physics.
This article is based on research available at arXiv.