CERN prepares for next search for dark matter after Higgs discovery
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The discovery of the Higgs Boson in 2012 was a landmark achievement for CERN, confirming the mechanism through which fundamental particles acquire mass and completing the Standard Model of particle physics.
But the European particle physics laboratory is now preparing for an even broader search for answers about the universe, including the nature of dark matter.
Speaking to NDTV, CERN Director General Dr Mark Thomson said scientists still want to understand the unusual properties of the Higgs Boson. “We want to really understand this strange object we’ve discovered. What is it really? Really dig into it,” he said.
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which runs through a 27-kilometre tunnel nearly 100 metres underground beneath the Swiss-French border, is currently undergoing a major upgrade. Around 1.2 kilometres of critical magnets are being replaced, while its detectors are also being upgraded.
The upgraded machine, known as the High-Luminosity LHC, is expected to produce roughly ten times more data. New silicon detector technologies, advanced computing and artificial intelligence will help researchers process the increased volume of collision data.
A major target will be dark matter, which is estimated to account for about 27 per cent of the universe, compared with roughly five per cent for ordinary visible matter. Scientists know dark matter exists through its gravitational effects, but have never directly detected it.
“We know it’s there, but we don’t know what it is,” Thomson said, adding that some proposed forms of dark matter could potentially be produced at the upgraded LHC.
CERN is also continuing research into antimatter. Researchers recently demonstrated that 92 trapped antiprotons could be transported across the laboratory campus, a proof of principle that could enable future experiments in different locations.
India remains an important part of CERN’s scientific programme, with around 300 Indian scientists collaborating with the laboratory. Thomson praised India’s scientific, technical and engineering expertise and encouraged young Indian researchers to contribute to CERN’s future work.
Beyond the LHC, CERN is developing plans for the proposed 91-kilometre Future Circular Collider. If built, it could enable highly precise studies of the Higgs Boson and searches for physics beyond the Standard Model for decades to come.