Dark Matter Could Be Found by 2040
What Is Dark Matter?
What Is This Cosmic Radio Made Of?
Dark Matter May Be a Frequency – And We’re About to Tune Into It
Scientists say we could finally find dark matter in the next 15 years — thanks to a new device that works like a "cosmic car radio".
This special device is made to detect axions — invisible, tiny particles that scientists think make up dark matter. With new smart materials and high-tech tools already created, researchers believe it’s now just a matter of scaling up and waiting.
A New Way to Search for Dark Matter
A group of top scientists from King’s College London, Harvard, UC Berkeley, and others have built a new type of detector, which could help find dark matter soon.
This new tool is called a “cosmic radio” because it works like a car radio – but instead of music, it tries to “tune in” to the invisible frequency of dark matter.
Their research was published on April 16, 2025, in the journal Nature. They believe this might be the most powerful and accurate dark matter detector ever made.
What Is Dark Matter?
Dark matter is a special kind of invisible matter. We can’t see it or touch it, but we know it’s there because it affects how stars and galaxies move.
Scientists think 85% of the matter in the universe is dark matter.
One of the best guesses for what dark matter is made of? A tiny, invisible particle called the axion.
Axions are very light, and they don’t mix easily with normal matter. That’s why they’re so hard to find.
Tuning In Like a Radio
Axions are not like solid things. Scientists believe they act more like waves – kind of like light or sound.
These waves could be anywhere on the electromagnetic spectrum, which is a fancy word for the range of all light and radio waves.
But there’s a problem: we don’t know the exact frequency of axions. It could be super low or extremely high.
So the scientists built a detector that can change its settings to try many different frequencies — just like tuning a radio to find a clear signal.
If it finds the right frequency, it might actually catch dark matter in action.
Listening for Dark Matter From Space
The new detector uses a special thing called an Axion Quasiparticle, or AQ. It’s like a fake particle that reacts to real axions.
The AQ sends out a frequency into space. If it matches the axion frequency, it gives off a tiny flash of light. That flash could prove that axions – and dark matter – are real.
The AQ works at super high frequencies, called terahertz, which many scientists believe is where axions might be hiding.
Big Dreams, Real Tools
Dr. David Marsh, one of the main researchers from King’s College London, said:
“We already have the technology. Now it’s just about making it bigger and giving it time.”
The plan is to make a much larger AQ detector in about 5 years.
Then, they’ll need around 10 more years to scan through all the possible frequencies. If all goes well, they could detect dark matter within 15 years.
What Is This Cosmic Radio Made Of?
To make the AQ, the team used a rare material called manganese bismuth telluride (written as MnBi₂Te₄).
This material is super sensitive and has strange electronic and magnetic powers.
Scientists had to shave it down to just a few atoms thick to make it work right.
Jian-Xiang Qiu from Harvard, the lead author, explained:
“This material reacts strongly to air, so we had to keep it thin and clean. That way, we can control it and see how it reacts to particles like the axion.”
40 Years in the Making
Back in 1983, scientists first said that axions could act like radio waves. Now, after 40 years, we finally have the tools to try tuning into that signal.
Dr. Marsh added:
“This is a thrilling time for dark matter research. The excitement is just like what we saw right before the Higgs boson was discovered.”
He says they’re getting closer and closer to solving the mystery of dark matter – and it could change everything we know about the universe.
Conclusion: The Final Countdown to Dark Matter
With a new kind of “cosmic car radio” and years of research behind them, scientists are now in the final stretch of their 40-year search for dark matter.
If successful, this discovery could unlock secrets of the universe, and maybe even show us how it all began.
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