This clock could detect black matter 100 million times lower than gravity

Dark matter is everywhere, and yet no one has ever seen it. Therefore, It shapes galaxies, influences the structure of the universe, but remains elusive. In addition, To date, no experience has made it possible to detect it directly. However. Therefore, a team of German scientists offers a bold idea: to exploit the extreme precision of a future nuclear clock to reveal, finally, its influence. Similarly, This innovative approach is based on the use of Thorium-229, a very particular isotope, whose properties could upset basic research.

Nuclear clock: more precise than atomic clock – This clock could detect black

Today, atomic clocks are the most precise time measurement instruments we have. However, They operate by relying on the frequency of oscillation of the electrons which gravitate around an atomic nucleus. Meanwhile, But these electrons remain sensitive to external disturbances, which ultimately limits the maximum accuracy this clock could detect black of these devices.

With the nuclear clock, the principle is different: it no longer uses electrons but energy transitions inside the atomic nucleus. However, these nuclei are much more stable and much less sensitive to external disturbances. For example, Thorium-229, in particular, has a rare property: one of its nuclear transitions is very low, accessible to optical measures. This opens the door to the creation of a whole new kind clock, capable of reaching theoretical precision never seen.

According to the researchers, such a clock could far exceed the performance of the current atomic clocks. It could measure infinitesimal variations in time and space, thus becoming an unparalleled tool to explore still inaccessible physical phenomena.

When the time measurement becomes a black matter detector

What makes this approach particularly fascinating is its unexpected application: to track down the dark matter not by observing it directly. but this clock could detect black by studying its subtle effects on ordinary matter. The team of Professor Gilad Perez. at the Weizmann Institute of Sciences, suggests that the hypothetical oscillations of dark matter could very slightly influence the mass of atomic nuclei – and therefore disturb the frequency of resonance of a nuclear clock.

In a universe without dark matter, the properties of nuclei would remain perfectly constant. But if dark matter acts as a kind of invisible wave crossing space. it could induce tiny variations in the thorium-229 absorption spectrum. These variations would be so discreet that they could only be captured by a clock of extreme precision. like the one that researchers are trying to develop today.

According to their theoretical calculations. it would be possible to detect the influence of dark matter even if it was 100 million times lower than gravity. This means the finesse of the instrument envisaged.

Major technical challenges but unpublished perspectives

Building such a clock remains a colossal challenge. Thorium-229 is not only rare, but also radioactive and very expensive. The necessary quantities are tiny, but their manipulation remains delicate. Teams are currently working to improve physical deposit techniques in the steam phase to reduce the quantity of material required. making the project more accessible.

While waiting for a fully functional nuclear clock to day, the researchers continue their simulations and their models. They refine their understanding this clock could detect black of the effects that dark matter could produce on the Thorium-229 absorption spectrum. in the hope of being ready when these tiny variations can finally be measured.

If these works lead. they could not only revolutionize the physics of time, but also to offer a new angle of attack in the quest for dark matter. This improbable detector. born of a simple desire to measure the time more precisely, could thus become the key tool to unravel one of the greatest mysteries in the universe.