Dark Matter — The Greatest Mystery of The Universe | VICE on HBO

Summary

The script delves into humanity's quest to explore the cosmos, focusing on the Very Large Telescope and the Large Underground Xenon Experiment (LUX) as tools to unravel the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. It explains the concept of dark matter as an unseen force that binds galaxies and the role of dark energy in the accelerating expansion of the universe. The video also highlights the technological advancements and scientific discoveries that have emerged from our pursuit to understand these cosmic phenomena, emphasizing the continuous nature of scientific inquiry and its potential to innovate and improve our lives.

Takeaways

• 🌌 Telescopes like the Very Large Telescope (VLT) allow us to explore the universe and answer fundamental questions about its origins and nature.
• 🔍 The VLT is the most advanced optical observatory, enabling us to look back over 13 billion years into the past.
• 🌌 95% of the universe's composition remains unaccounted for, with only 5% of matter being visible and following known laws of physics.
• 🌐 The existence of dark matter is inferred from the gravitational effects it has on galaxies, preventing them from flying apart despite the forces acting upon them.
• 🔬 The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment is designed to detect dark matter by using an ultra-quiet environment deep underground to shield from cosmic rays.
• 🌌 The Milky Way's rotation suggests the presence of dark matter, as there would need to be nearly ten times more matter than currently observed for the observed rotation to occur.
• 🔍 Dark matter particles, known as WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), are expected to pass through Earth with minimal interaction.
• 🔬 The LUX experiment uses a dual-tank system filled with purified water and supercooled liquid xenon to detect potential dark matter interactions.
• 🌐 The search for dark matter has led to the discovery of dark energy, a force that is causing the universe's expansion to accelerate.
• 🌌 The Very Large Telescope array in Chile played a crucial role in identifying dark energy by observing distant supernovae and their implications on the universe's expansion.
• 🌐 The understanding of dark matter and dark energy could potentially revolutionize physics, similar to how Newton's laws and Einstein's theories of relativity transformed our understanding of motion and energy.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the Very Large Telescope?

The Very Large Telescope is the most advanced optical observatory in the world, allowing us to gaze 13 billion years into the past and answer fundamental questions about the universe's origins, composition, and future.

What percentage of the universe's composition is currently unaccounted for?

95% of the universe's composition cannot be accounted for with the current understanding of physics, while the remaining 5% of matter we can perceive abides by the known laws of physics.

What is dark matter and why is it significant?

Dark matter is a mysterious type of particle that exerts a gravitational force, binding galaxies together. It is significant because it helps explain why galaxies do not fly apart due to the forces of rotation.

What is the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment and its purpose?

The LUX experiment is the world's most sensitive dark matter detector, designed to search for dark matter by providing a quiet environment deep underground to shield from cosmic rays and detect weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs).

Why is the LUX experiment located a mile beneath the ground?

The experiment is placed deep underground to find a quiet environment free from cosmic rays, which are produced in the upper atmosphere and could interfere with the detection of dark matter particles.

What are WIMPs and how do they interact with the environment?

WIMPs, or weakly interacting massive particles, are hypothetical particles that make up dark matter. They are called 'weakly interacting' because they rarely interact with other matter, passing through the Earth with minimal interaction.

How does the search for dark matter at CERN differ from the LUX experiment?

At CERN, scientists use the Large Hadron Collider to recreate conditions similar to those of the Big Bang, attempting to produce and detect dark matter particles through high-energy collisions of protons.

What is the connection between dark matter research and the discovery of dark energy?

The search for an explanation of the observed rotation speeds of galaxies led to the discovery of dark matter, and further observations of supernovae revealed the existence of dark energy, an unknown force causing the universe's expansion to accelerate.

What is the significance of the discovery of dark energy?

Dark energy is significant because it challenges our understanding of gravity and the universe's expansion. Its discovery implies that there is a force causing the universe to expand at an accelerating rate, contrary to what would be expected with gravity alone.

How has the technology developed for understanding the universe impacted our daily lives?

Technological advancements made for space exploration and understanding the universe, such as the invention of the World Wide Web at CERN, have led to innovations that have become integral to our daily lives, improving communication and data analysis.

What is the role of asking big questions in scientific innovation?

Asking big questions drives scientific innovation by pushing the boundaries of knowledge and inspiring the development of new technologies and methods to explore and understand complex phenomena, such as dark matter and dark energy.