The search for dark matter is continuing with UCD professor and students leading the way.
Scientists of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search experiment announced Feb. 25 that UCD has regained the lead in the race to find the particles that make up cryogenic dark matter.
     Dr. Martin Huber, UCD physics professor, and a group of 17 students who have worked with him over the past 10 years, have recently learned the collaboration they are a part of is in the forefront of a scientific race.
     “The collaboration that is working on this project includes over a dozen universities; the unique part about us is our students are undergraduates,” Huber said.
     Huber’s laboratory is responsible for the UCD contribution to the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search experiment and the proprietor of The Superconducting Electronics and Low-Temperature Physics Laboratory. According to Huber, his search includes showing the evidence of dark matter’s existence. Dark matter is something that cannot directly be seen but only has a known presence from the effects gravitation and other matter has on it.
     “Dark matter may account for 85 percent of the entire mass of the universe,” Huber said. He explains that the four fundamental forces in physics that can help detect the dark matter and play a large role in the race include electromagnetic force, gravity, strong force, and weak force.
     “What is important about the weak force and the search for dark matter is that dark matter does not appear to be affected by weak force, which provides evidence of dark matter,” Huber said.

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     Dr. Huber and his undergraduate students over the years have supplied pre-amplifiers called SQUIDs—superconducting quantum interference devices—which provide amplification and way of detecting dark matter.
     According to Huber, whoever can identify dark matter would be in line for the Nobel Prize in physics.
     “I am looking for interns now for the next step in designing a more sensitive system for the next step in dark matter detection,” said Huber.