Celebrating spooky science

Science isn’t scary, but it can be spooky! For Halloween, we’re highlighting some “spooky” research that the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science supports. In fact, the physics community celebrates Dark Matter Day on Halloween! We hope that this roundup puts you in the mood to dig a little deeper into the wonders that surround you.

Dark Matter

Finding out that the ordinary matter around us makes up only 5 percent of the mass-energy of the universe may be surprising and even startling! But it’s true. The majority of matter is dark matter that only interacts with ordinary matter through gravity. Like a ghostly presence, scientists can only “see” dark matter by what it influences. Even our most sensitive tools haven’t detected a dark matter particle – yet. Right now, researchers are running and developing ever more sensitive detectors to try to catch a glimpse of this elusive particle. Learn more in the Direct Current podcast episode about dark matter and ask questions to physicists from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in a live Q&A on YouTube on Wednesday, October 30.

“Ghost” Particles

Physicists call neutrinos “ghost particles” because of their mysterious nature and lack of interaction with other particles. In fact, they interact with so little that there are millions flowing through you right now without you even noticing. Unlike dark matter, scientists have detected neutrinos. However, there’s still a tremendous amount we don’t know about them. Our best model of how the universe works – called the Standard Model of Particle Physics – predicts that neutrinos shouldn’t have mass. Yet they do. Another mystery is why neutrinos change type as they travel. As neutrinos move through space and the Earth, they shift between three different types. If scientists could understand why neutrinos shift, it could help answer some of the biggest questions in physics. Learn more from our DOE Explains…Neutrinos page and blog post Digging into Neutrino Research.  

Quantum Entanglement

When Albert Einstein referred to a phenomenon as “spooky action at a distance,” you know it’s unusual. Quantum entanglement is a property unique to how particles interact at the very smallest levels. At the size of atoms and smaller, particles act in ways that are different and even contrary to how we experience physics at larger scales. Quantum entanglement is when two or more particles’ quantum states are linked. If one particle’s state is measured, the other’s state is fixed – no matter how far apart they are from each other. Scientists are leveraging entanglement and other quantum properties to develop new types of computers, sensors, and networks. These quantum technologies could solve certain problems faster and more effectively than classical ones. Learn more about entanglement on our DOE Explains…Quantum Mechanics page.

Investigating Mummies with Muons

Muons are another type of fundamental particle that have surprising properties. They’re the heavier cousins of more familiar electrons. Muons on Earth result naturally from cosmic rays colliding with particles as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Like neutrinos, muons can pass through almost any substance on Earth unchanged. That makes them ideal for archeological purposes. In fact, scientists have used muons to peer inside of pyramids in Egypt and Mexico!

Microbial “Dark Matter”

While there’s dark matter all throughout the universe, microbial dark matter largely exists in the soil beneath our feet. The many bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other tiny organisms that scientists haven’t yet studied vastly outnumber the ones we have studied. By analyzing the genes of this vast array of microorganisms, we can better understand their ecological roles and functions. Some of them may also be useful in technologies like bioenergy. DOE’s Joint Genome Institute user facility has been a leader in expanding the diversity of microbes studied. The recent Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, David Baker, has conducted recent research in this area. His team relied on a number of DOE Office of Science user facilities, including JGI and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center.

Nocturnal Animals

The campuses of our national laboratories aren’t only spaces for innovative research. Many of them also provide important habitat for animals, including owls, raccoons, and coyotes. In fact, the 33,000 acres surrounding DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are home to more than 1,500 species of plants and animals, including more than a dozen species of bats! The lab takes great care to ensure its infrastructure doesn’t compromise important habitat. When engineers and technicians were setting up the huge power lines to support the Frontier exascale supercomputer, they timed the construction around the bats’ migratory patterns. Recently, ORNL created an artificial habitat for endangered bats that is 3D-printed with an eco-friendly composite.