Scientists in hunt for dark matter
Updated on 05 February 2008
An underground project which could help answer one of the biggest questions of modern science has been announced.
A team of scientists is hoping to confirm the existence of dark matter.
The material is thought to make up much of the mass of the universe, but has never been proven to exist.
The project will be carried out using a sensitive detector based at Boulby Underground Laboratory in North Yorkshire.
The lab is housed in the UK's largest commercial mine. It lies 1km (0.6 miles) underground and is operated by Cleveland Potash Ltd.
It is hoped the detector, called Zeplin III, will identify Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (Wimps) - particles that constitute dark matter.
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London and the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire are involved in the research.
Presently, scientists only understand what makes up about 4% of the mass of the universe. The rest is thought to be dark matter and dark energy.
Proving that dark matter exists will help scientists understand some of the biggest questions in physics, including the composition and formation of galaxies.
Dr Alex Murphy, of the University of Edinburgh, said: "This is a really exciting time. It is the first time detectors have had a sensitivity good enough to have a chance of seeing Wimp interactions and taking us one step closer to the discovery of dark matter."
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