Scientists are developing a 3D-printed vacuum system that aims to capture dark matter

Using a specially designed 3D-printed vacuum system, scientists have developed a way to ‘capture’ dark matter with the aim of detecting domain walls. This will be an important step forward in unraveling some of the mysteries of the universe.

Scientists from the University of Nottingham’s School of Physics have created a 3D printed vacuum system that they will use in a new experiment to reduce the density of gas, then add ultra-cold lithium atoms to try to detect dark walls. The research was published in Physical examination D.

Professor Clare Burrage from the School of Physics is one of the lead authors of the study and explains: ‘Ordinary matter that makes up the world makes up only a small part of the universe’s contents, about 5%, the rest is dark or dark. matter or dark energy – we can see their effects on how the universe behaves, but we don’t know what they are. One way people try to measure dark matter is by introducing a particle called a scalar field.

The researchers based the construction of the 3D vessels on the theory that light scalar fields, with double well potentials and direct matter couplings, undergo density-driven phase transitions, leading to the formation of domain walls.

“As the density is lowered defects form – this is similar to when water freezes into ice, water molecules are random and when they freeze you get a crystal structure with molecules arranged randomly, with some arranged one way and some another way, and this creates fault lines.

“Something similar happens in scalar fields as the density gets lower. You can’t see these fault lines with the eye, but if particles pass over them it can change their trajectory. These defects are dark walls and can prove the theory of scalar fields – either that these fields exist or don’t exist,” Burrage adds.

To detect these defects or dark walls, the team has created a specially designed vacuum that they will use in a new experiment that will simulate the transition from a dense environment to a less dense environment. With the new setup, they will cool lithium atoms with laser photons to -273 °C, which is close to absolute zero. At this temperature they adopt quantum properties, making the analysis more accurate and predictable.

Lucia Hackermueller, associate professor in the School of Physics, led the design of the laboratory experiment. She explains: “The 3D printed vessels we use as a vacuum chamber have been constructed using theoretical calculations of dark walls. This, we believe, has created the ideal shape, structure and texture to capture the dark matter.

‘To successfully demonstrate that dark walls are trapped, we pass a cold atomic cloud through those walls. The cloud is then deflected. To cool those atoms, we fire laser photons at the atoms, which decreases the energy in the atom. is like slowing down an elephant with snowballs.”

It took the team three years to build the system and they expect to have results within a year.

‘Whether we prove that dark walls exist or not, it will be an important step forward in our understanding of dark energy and dark matter, and an excellent example of how a well-controlled laboratory experiment can be designed to directly measure effects that are relevant to the world. universe and cannot otherwise be observed,” Hackermueller adds.