M. Giannotti

Deep underground, in the silence of a cryostat (a cooled container), lie crystals of lead that once belonged to an ancient Roman ship. This material barely emits background radiation — over two thousand years, unstable isotopes have decayed, leaving it perfectly clean for hunting the rarest events.

In the scorching plasma of the solar interior, particles are born that barely interact with matter. One hypothesis suggests these are axion-like particles — light and elusive.