May 2023
CASPEr searches for dark matter
“We decided just before Christmas: now we're ready! And we were actually able to carry out a first measurement with our new setup to search for dark matter. The fact that this 20-hour measurement worked so well after several years of development is a real milestone. But we have also learned a lot - and hope that we will be able to make the next development leap within another year. For example, much longer automatically controlled measurements should then be possible.
Our experiment is called CASPEr, which stands for “Cosmic Axion Spin Precession Experiment”. It is an international research program with several setups worldwide, for example at Boston University in the USA. What all experiments have in common is that we use nuclear magnetic resonance techniques to detect dark matter - in this case, we are looking for extremely light particles as promising candidates for dark matter, known as axions.
©: Angelika Stehle
All CASPEr setups complement each other by making different mass ranges accessible in which we can search for axions. Our current setup in Mainz is called “CASPEr-gradient low field” and since I came to Mainz in 2020, I have been coordinating the work on the experiment as a junior research group leader and supervising master's and PhD theses.
My motivation: to apply techniques that we develop in experimental atomic physics to fundamental questions of physics. Dark matter is certainly at the forefront here, which is what makes the CASPEr project so exciting. The scientific exchange about our research is no less important: as an international center, the MITP offers me the ideal concept for discussing the greatest mysteries of modern physics on site in Mainz with many international guests.”
Dr. Hendrik Bekker is a junior research group leader in Professor Dmitry Budker's research team. He came to Mainz from Columbia University (New York) in 2020. He is particularly fascinated by the search for dark matter. He has now designed a lecture on the topic specifically for Master's students.