Photomultipliers are installed in the COSINUS experiment to filter out unwanted background noise caused by cosmic rays (Photo: Astrid Eckert/MPP)

Photomultipliers are installed in the COSINUS experiment to filter out unwanted background noise caused by cosmic rays (Photo: Astrid Eckert/MPP)

Dark matter: testing a controversial signal

Café & Kosmos on June 18, 2024

There are around 20 experiments worldwide searching for the mysterious dark matter. So far, none has been able to detect the substance - with one exception: the DAMA/LIBRA experiment has been claiming to measure a signal since 1998. However, no other research group has yet been able to confirm this result.

With COSINUS, an experiment is now starting that aims to verify the supposed dark matter detection. In a few years' time, we will hopefully know whether DAMA has really measured dark matter. Kumrie Shera and Dr. Martin Stahlberg from the Max Planck Institute for Physics explain how the new experiment is set up and how it works.