A physicist wants to transform Jupiter’s largest moon into a gigantic black matter detector

When searching for the unknown, classical physical wisdom maintains that a A larger detector increases the chances of discovery. A physicist takes this advice to heart, progressing a bold plan to use no other than Ganymede – Jupiter’s largest moon – like a black matter detector on an astronomical scale.

The dark matter refers to the “invisible” mass which is supposedly 85% of the universe. There is considerable evidence This dark matter exists, but it is “dark”, which means that it does not respond to light and interacts very weakly with other subjects. The search for dark matter has tested the limits of the creativity of physicists, but a proposal by William DeroccoA physicist at the University of Maryland is perhaps the most extraordinary to date. In a pre -printed subject to arxivRocco suggests that ganymede craters can store evidence of black matter particles, which undertake spaceships like NASA Europa Clipper or ESA JUICE could observe during their respective missions.

The paper, which has not yet been evaluated by peers, proposes that massive particles of dark matter could have hit and penetrate the thick and icy surface of ganymede, leaving deep and wide ruptures. Unlike relatively small size candidates for dark matter that ground detectors are looking for, these particles would be much larger. These particles of extra -worm dark matter would create “black matter craters” – more mallen bumps on the surface of ganymede composed of distinctive minerals drawn on the surface of the depth inside the oceans of the moon.

“If you have used something like a radar penetrating on the ground, you may be able to see this column of ice melted at the bottom through the ice,” said Derocco in an interview with New scientist. The study of the surface of Ganymede with this proposal in mind could discover unexpected ideas on cosmic dark matter, according to the newspaper.

In principle, the proposal seems promising, Bradley Kavanaugh, astrophysicist at the University of Cantabria in Spain which was not involved in the study, also told New Scientist. At the same time – like all black matter experiences – there is still no definitive proof that heavy and massive black matter particles really exist.

If all this seems crazy, I don’t blame you. However, it is important to remember that, as many physicists want to emphasize, solving a mystery of physics often means testing daring and unconventional ideas. And although there is no decisive evidence that this particular proposal is correct, there is no evidence either. We will have to wait and see if NASA or ESA takes the idea of ​​Derocco, and if they do it, if ganymede really has a surface dotted with craters of dark matter.