Sponge crystals listen to the whisper of dark matter ⚡ экспресс
A new quantum sensor for direct dark matter detection with sensitivity to energies below eV is being explored. Candidate materials that can support chiral phonons with large magnetic moments, read out by an external magnetometer, are considered. The focus is on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), whose non-centrosymmetric structure, compositional diversity, and stable acoustic bands make detection of single chiral phonons feasible. For several promising compositions, a comparison of projected sensitivity to all interaction types predicted by effective field theory was conducted. It was found that sensitivity has little dependence on the specific MOF choice, allowing material optimization for magnetic readout. A prototype setup that realizes direct measurement of the chiral phonon sensor response using a planar magnetometer on the sample surface is proposed.
In the 1930s, Fritz Zwicky noticed that galaxies move as if tugged by an invisible weight. Later, Vera Rubin proved that stars on the outskirts spin too fast—they are held together by dark matter. But catching its particles has proven impossible: they pass through everything like ghosts.
Now physicists have designed a trap from sponge-like porous crystals. If a dark matter particle collides with such a sponge, a twisted sound wave—a tiny magnetic vortex—is born inside. This "whisper" can be heard using an ultra-sensitive sensor coated right onto the crystal.
The biggest surprise: the sponge's sensitivity barely depends on its composition. You can change the chemical ingredients, add rare dopants—the sensitivity doesn't drop. This makes the detector flexible. Moreover, the twisted waves here resemble the symmetry-breaking process after the Big Bang. Since the Standard Model is silent about dark matter, a successful trap like this would open the door to new physics.
🎯 Porous sponge crystals are already at work in practice: they are used to capture carbon dioxide from the air and store hydrogen in the cars of the future.