News

The University of Sussex’s Department of Physics and Astronomy has joined a prestigious international project exploring one of science’s most puzzling mysteries – dark matter. 

Dark matter is an invisible substance that does not emit light but influences the universe's structure and the motion of galaxies through its gravitational pull, though its exact nature remains unknown. 

Following a vote by the Xenon Lux-Zeplin Darwin (XLZD) Consortium Institute Board, Professor Antonella De Santo and her team will become part of the XLZD’s international collaboration which is researching the phenomenon. 

Prof Antonella De Santo said: “This is a major achievement for Sussex and reinforces the university’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of our understanding of dark matter. 

“Should the XLZD experiment achieve its ultimate goal of direct detection of dark matter, it would not only reshape our understanding of the Universe but also potentially yield Nobel-prize-worthy developments, and so it is an honour for Sussex to be involved.” 

Up to now, dark matter, which is believed to account for more than 85% of the mass in the universe, has eluded direct detection. 

XLZD’s dark matter research explores the fundamental laws of physics and acts as a cosmic detector, probing the nature and composition of our universe.  

The experiment, which seeks to detect dark matter particles and uncover new neutrino physics, is poised to revolutionise our understanding of the Universe – much like CERN’s Large Hadron Collider did in 2012 with the detection of the Higgs Boson.  

At the heart of the ambitious initiative is the XLZD detector, a large underground "thermos flask" designed to contain up to 100 tons of liquid xenon.  

This cutting-edge instrument will capture tiny flashes of light generated by subtle interactions between dark matter particles and xenon atoms. 

Doing so would provide crucial evidence that could transform the field of particle physics, by bringing to the fore a new "dark" sector of fundamental particles and their interactions. 

Sussex’s involvement is centred on the design and construction of the essential Outer Detector component – a critical element enabling the XLZD experiment to function as a rare event observatory. 

The collaboration also opens doors for Sussex to participate in a high-impact and internationally renowned research effort, which will potentially be hosted at the UK’s deep underground science facility at Boulby mine in North-East England. 

Over the past year, Sussex has contributed to the UK-based XLZD@Boulby project, bolstered by an £8 million preliminary investment from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Infrastructure Fund, which provides financial support to a consortium of universities and research institutes.  

Prof De Santo said: “With our recent official admission to the XLZD Collaboration, Sussex is now fully integrated into a world-leading research consortium, setting the stage for groundbreaking discoveries in dark matter and beyond.”