Scientists searching for one of the universe’s biggest mysteries have recorded an unusual particle interaction deep beneath the ground in South Dakota. The event could be a clue to dark matter, but researchers are stressing that it is far too early to call it a discovery. The observation came from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, located about 1.6 km below the surface inside a former gold mine in the Black Hills.
The team says the event had characteristics that could fit the behaviour expected from a hypothetical dark matter particle known as a WIMP, or weakly interacting massive particle. But there is a major catch: scientists have recorded only one such event.
