Superconducting tiny wires are helping physicists hunt for invisible dark matter
Physicists are using ultra-thin superconducting nanowires to detect the incredibly faint signals of dark matter, a mysterious substance that makes up roughly 85 percent of the universe's total mass.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors are revolutionizing the search for dark matter by sensing the tiniest energy deposits from subatomic particles. These wires are hundreds of times thinner than a human hair and chilled to near absolute zero. When a potential dark matter particle strikes the wire, it disrupts the superconductivity and creates a measurable electrical pulse.
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