Two Lab scientists from the Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics Division, Thomas Schenkel, Program Head, Ion Beam Technologies/Fusion Energy Sciences Program, and Curtis Berger, Graduate Student, BELLA Center, were given the challenge of exploring the unknown, Dark Matter, in just three questions.  Thanks to both of them for sharing their expertise. 

Q: What is Dark Matter? And why are we looking for it?

Thomas Schenkel: Dark Matter (DM) is one of the outstanding science challenges of our time. We know it must exist because galaxies move in a way that is not consistent with the sum of all visible matter (or Standard Model Matter, the stuff we are made of). 

Most of the mass in the universe is actually dark matter, and more of the energy is dark energy; what we are made of is a mere 5%. That breakdown can make us feel demoted or special, depending on your point of view. 

Now, what if dark matter has structure? What if there is a periodic table of dark matter particles that can interact and be assembled into stuff? Is there a dark matter world out there? We are moving through the dark matter wind at all times, and the DM is constantly going through our bodies and brains. 

 

Curtis Berger: Dark matter is the universe’s ultimate trickster: it’s everywhere, but we can’t see it, touch it, or directly detect it. It doesn’t emit, absorb, or reflect light — making it invisible to telescopes. And yet, it pulls cosmic strings behind the scenes, shaping the universe by its gravitational influence. Scientists are left searching for the “costume” it wears, but so far, dark matter leaves only vague clues, like some elusive candy you’ve had before but can’t quite put your finger on. (It’s probably Mary Janes — chewy, mysterious, and just slightly off.)

Instead of directly detecting it, physicists look for signs of its existence through other means, such as:

  • Gravitational Lensing: Light from distant galaxies bends around invisible masses of dark matter, like cosmic funhouse mirrors.
  • Galaxy Rotation Curves: Stars at the edges of galaxies move faster than expected, as if some unseen mass is holding the galaxy together.
  • Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB): Subtle ripples in this ancient glow carry imprints of dark matter’s influence in the early universe.
  • Structure Formation: The way galaxies cluster and evolve suggests there’s much more mass holding things together than what we can see.

And the weirdest part? Physicists still don’t know what dark matter actually is. The leading suspects include exotic particles like WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) or axions. 

Each is like an uninvited guest at the cosmic party — they show up everywhere but never announce themselves. Even more frustrating, every experiment designed to catch a glimpse of them has come up empty so far. It’s the ultimate cosmic mystery: What is dark matter, and what does it want? Probably just to leave us scratching our heads… and stuck with those leftover Mary Janes.

 

Q: What are some of the theories of what Dark Matter might be?

Curtis:  A fun and very sci-fi theory suggests that dark matter could be the result of gravitational forces from ordinary matter “leaking” into our universe from a parallel dimension. In this scenario, what we perceive as dark and invisible might actually be the gravitational shadow of luminous stars, bright galaxies, or entire cosmic structures — just hidden from our view in another realm. Essentially, what we call dark matter could be someone else’s sunshine… but shining in a universe we can’t access.

Of course, this is just playful speculation (although the math of extra dimensions isn’t entirely off the table). If dark matter isn’t a gravitational whisper from a neighboring universe, it might consist of exotic particles, such as WIMPs or axions, that have yet to show up in our detectors. These particles interact so weakly with ordinary matter that they’re like cosmic phantoms: everywhere but impossible to pin down.

Nathalie Palanque-Delabrouille, Physics Division Director, jumped into the conversation. Life in dark matter would require that dark matter interacts through other forces than just (or essentially) gravity. So far, we have no indication of that, so “structured” dark matter does seem far-fetched.

 

Q: Do you think there is intelligent life hiding in dark matter?  If it is not intelligent life, what do you think might be in dark matter?

Curtis: Now, as for intelligent life hiding in dark matter? Well, the idea sounds more like a plot from science fiction than science fact, but you never know! If it is some form of alien intelligence lurking in the dark matter halos around galaxies, it’s doing a great job of staying under the radar. Maybe it’s even plotting from a parallel dimension… or perhaps it’s something closer to Dormammu. Yeah, it’s probably Dormammu.

Thomas: Could we tap into this dark matter dimension and work with it? Maybe. We might be able to make new friends in dark matter land. Today, there is an intense, exciting race to pinpoint the nature of dark matter, and there are many proposals, from MACHOS (massive compact halo objects) to WIMP (weakly interacting massive particles, to (primordial black holes). The latter might also enable building wormhole tunnels between parallel universes, so for example, we could watch our favorite sitcoms independent of streaming restrictions. Or we might get visitors from the dark side. I personally like the idea of light-dark matter candidates, and we have put out ideas on how to pinpoint these :).

 

Learn More About Dark Matter Research at the Lab

 

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