Scientists close in on the universe's biggest mystery

Roughly 95% of the universe is dark matter and dark energy, and Dr. Rupak Mahapatra at Texas A&M is developing semiconductor detectors with cryogenic quantum sensors to search for very rare dark-matter interactions.

Scientists report that most of the universe is unseen, with about 68% attributed to dark energy and 27% to dark matter, leaving roughly 5% ordinary matter. Dr. Rupak Mahapatra, an experimental particle physicist at Texas A&M, is developing advanced semiconductor detectors paired with cryogenic quantum sensors to look for extremely rare particle interactions. His group contributes to global searches including work with the TESSERACT detector and has long involvement with the SuperCDMS program. The team's recent work was reported in the journal Applied Physics Letters. What we know: - About 68% of the universe's energy is attributed to dark energy, 27% to dark matter, and roughly 5% to ordinary matter. - Dark matter and dark energy do not emit, absorb, or reflect light, so researchers infer their presence through gravitational effects and the shapes and motions of cosmic structures. - Mahapatra's group at Texas A&M is developing semiconductor detectors with cryogenic quantum sensors designed to amplify very weak interaction signals. - The team has taken part in searches using the TESSERACT detector and has decades of involvement with SuperCDMS, including a 2014 advance in voltage-assisted calorimetric ionization detection. - Recent collaborations and a 2022 co-authored study emphasize using multiple approaches—direct detection, indirect detection, and collider searches—to address the dark matter problem. Summary: These detector developments support ongoing global efforts to probe dark matter and improve experimental sensitivity. The work builds on SuperCDMS experience and participation in TESSERACT searches. Undetermined at this time.