Dark matter remains one of the biggest mysteries in fundamental physics. Many theoretical proposals (axions, WIMPs) and 40 years of extensive experimental searches have failed to provide any explanation of the nature of dark matter.

Several years ago, in a theory unifying particle physics and gravity, new, radically different dark matter candidates were proposed: superheavy charged gravitinos.

Now, a paper published in Physical Review Research by scientists from the University of Warsaw and Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics shows how new underground detectors, in particular the JUNO detector starting soon to take data, even though designed for neutrino physics, are also extremely well suited to eventually detect charged dark matter gravitinos.

Dark matter is an elusive type of matter that does not emit, reflect or absorb light, yet is predicted to account for most of the universe’s mass. As it cannot be detected and studied using conventional experimental techniques, the nature and composition of dark matter have not yet been uncovered.

One of the most promising dark matter candidates (i.e., hypothetical particles that dark matter could be made of) are axions. Theory suggests that axions could convert into light particles (i.e., photons) under specific conditions, which could in turn generate signals that can be picked up by sophisticated equipment.

In strong magnetic fields, such as those surrounding neutron stars with large magnetic fields (i.e., magnetars), the conversion of axions into photons has been predicted to generate weak radio signals that could be detected using powerful Earth-based or space-based radio telescopes.

Black holes born in the early Universe could account for the recently observed ultrahigh-energy astrophysical neutrinos.

The last gasp of a primordial black hole may be the source of the highest-energy “ghost particle” detected to date, a new MIT study proposes.

In a paper appearing today in Physical Review Letters, MIT physicists put forth a strong theoretical case that a recently observed, highly energetic neutrino may have been the product of a primordial black hole exploding outside our solar system.

Neutrinos are sometimes referred to as ghost particles, for their invisible yet pervasive nature: They are the most abundant particle type in the universe, yet they leave barely a trace. Scientists recently identified signs of a neutrino with the highest energy ever recorded, but the source of such an unusually powerful particle has yet to be confirmed.