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Symmetry
Special Issues
The Dark Universe: The Harbinger of a Major Discovery
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Special Issue "The Dark Universe: The Harbinger of a Major Discovery"

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2023 | Viewed by 7796

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Konstantin Zioutas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physics, University of Patras, Patra, Greece and CAST Spokesperson at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
Interests: theoretical physics; nuclear physics; accelerator physics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The nature of the dark universe, we are living in, remains elusive since decades. For example, the origin of dark matter,  dark energy, and the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the cosmos are the most tantalizing challenges for all of physics. It is actually unusual that fundamental physics questions remain unanswered for several decades. Novel ideas going beyond standard techniques might bring the breakthrough(s) in the exciting field of astroparticle physics. The level of the issue allows to address a wide audience of scientists also beyond physics. This might trigger a synergy towards novel interdisciplinary solutions within overlooked anomalous findings, e.g., from atmospheric physics to exoplanetary systems including lasting mysteries in biomedicine. Also, all this might be the overlooked manifestation of the dark universe and they may unravel the nature of the dark universe. Primarily, this issue is of pedagogical nature aiming to show young researchers that also in our time there is no lack of novel ideas.

Prof. Konstantin Zioutas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Dark matter;
  • Dark energy;
  • Dark matter streams;
  • Cosmic rays;
  • Matter antimatter asymmetry;
  • Cosmology; Models;
  • Dark Universe;
  • Symmetry;  
  • axion;
  • WIMP;
  • Beyond SM physics;
  • Direct dark matter signatures;
  • Astrophysical dark matter signatures;
  • Detection techniques;
  • Cosmological constant;
  • Variable physics constants;
  • Gravitation;

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Article
Dark Matter Detection in the Stratosphere
by
Giovanni Cantatore
,
Serkant A. Çetin
,
Horst Fischer
,
Wolfgang Funk
,
Marin Karuza
,
Abaz Kryemadhi
,
Marios Maroudas
,
Kaan Özbozduman
,
Yannis K. Semertzidis
and
Konstantin Zioutas
Symmetry 2023, 15(6), 1167; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15061167 - 29 May 2023
Viewed by 621
Abstract
We investigate the prospects for the direct detection of dark matter (DM) particles, incident on the upper atmosphere. A recent work relating the burst-like temperature excursions in the stratosphere at heights of ≈38–47 km with low speed incident invisible streaming matter is the [...] Read more.
We investigate the prospects for the direct detection of dark matter (DM) particles, incident on the upper atmosphere. A recent work relating the burst-like temperature excursions in the stratosphere at heights of ≈38–47 km with low speed incident invisible streaming matter is the motivation behind this proposal. As an example, dark photons could match the reasoning presented in that work provided they constitute part of the local DM density. Dark photons emerge as a U(1) symmetry within extensions of the standard model. Dark photons mix with real photons with the same total energy without the need for an external field, as would be required, for instance, for axions. Furthermore, the ionospheric plasma column above the stratosphere can resonantly enhance the dark photon-to-photon conversion. Noticeably, the stratosphere is easily accessible with balloon flights. Balloon missions with up to a few tons of payload can be readily assembled to operate for months at such atmospheric heights. This proposal is not limited to streaming dark photons, as other DM constituents could be involved in the observed seasonal heating of the upper stratosphere. Therefore, we advocate a combination of different types of measurements within a multi-purpose parallel detector system, in order to increase the direct detection potential for invisible streaming constituents that affect, annually and around January, the upper stratosphere. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Dark Universe: The Harbinger of a Major Discovery)
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Article
Comparing Instrument Spectral Sensitivity of Dissimilar Electromagnetic Haloscopes to Axion Dark Matter and High Frequency Gravitational Waves
by
Michael E. Tobar
,
Catriona A. Thomson
,
William M. Campbell
,
Aaron Quiskamp
,
Jeremy F. Bourhill
,
Benjamin T. McAllister
,
Eugene N. Ivanov
and
Maxim Goryachev
Symmetry 2022, 14(10), 2165; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym14102165 - 16 Oct 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1196
Abstract
It is known that haloscopes that search for dark matter axions via the axion-photon anomaly are also sensitive to gravitational radiation through the inverse Gertsenshtein effect. Recently this way of searching for high frequency gravitational waves has gained momentum as it has been [...] Read more.
It is known that haloscopes that search for dark matter axions via the axion-photon anomaly are also sensitive to gravitational radiation through the inverse Gertsenshtein effect. Recently this way of searching for high frequency gravitational waves has gained momentum as it has been shown that the strain sensitivity of such detectors, are of the same order of sensitivity to the axion-photon theta angle. Thus, after calculating the sensitivity of a haloscope to an axion signal, we also have calculated the order of magnitude sensitivity to a gravitational wave signal of the same spectral and temporal form. However, it is unlikely that a gravitational wave and an axion signal will be of the same form, since physically the way the signals are generated are completely different. For gravitational wave detection, the spectral strain sensitivity is in units strain per square root Hz, is the natural way to compare the sensitivity of gravitational wave detectors due to its independence on the gravitational wave signal. In this work, we introduce a systematic way to calculate the spectral sensitivity of an axion haloscope, so instrument comparison may be achieved independent of signal assumptions and only depends on the axion to signal transduction sensitivity and noise in the instrument. Thus, the calculation of the spectral sensitivity not only allows the comparison of dissimilar axion detectors independent of signal, but also allows us to compare the order of magnitude gravitational wave sensitivity in terms of spectral strain sensitivity, allowing comparisons to standard gravitational wave detectors based on optical interferometers and resonant-mass technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Dark Universe: The Harbinger of a Major Discovery)
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Article
Gaia, Fundamental Physics, and Dark Matter
by
Michael Perryman
and
Konstantin Zioutas
Symmetry 2022, 14(4), 721; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym14040721 - 02 Apr 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1031
Abstract
The Gaia space astrometry mission is measuring accurate distances and space motions of more than two billion stars throughout our galaxy and beyond. This is a first look at how Gaia is contributing to fundamental physics, and in particular to our understanding of [...] Read more.
The Gaia space astrometry mission is measuring accurate distances and space motions of more than two billion stars throughout our galaxy and beyond. This is a first look at how Gaia is contributing to fundamental physics, and in particular to our understanding of dark matter, for which a few examples are given from the current literature. One of our goals is to illustrate how deep and often surprising insight into very diverse areas of fundamental physics can be extracted from this new and enormous high-accuracy stellar data set. In this spirit, we finish by suggesting a search for a connection between stellar activity, dark matter streams, and planetary configuration in nearby exoplanetary systems, as has been tentatively proposed in the case of the solar system. Dark matter candidates that could be probed by such a test include anti-quark nuggets, which have also been postulated as a possible explanation of the anomalous heating of the solar corona, and of the matter–antimatter asymmetry in the universe. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Dark Universe: The Harbinger of a Major Discovery)
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Article
Infrasonic, Acoustic and Seismic Waves Produced by the Axion Quark Nuggets
by
Dmitry Budker
,
Victor V. Flambaum
and
Ariel Zhitnitsky
Symmetry 2022, 14(3), 459; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym14030459 - 24 Feb 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1555
Abstract
We advocate the idea that Axion Quark Nuggets (AQN) hitting the Earth can be detected by analysing the infrasound, acoustic, and seismic waves which always accompany their passage in the atmosphere and underground. Our estimates for the infrasonic frequency ν≃5 Hz [...] Read more.
We advocate the idea that Axion Quark Nuggets (AQN) hitting the Earth can be detected by analysing the infrasound, acoustic, and seismic waves which always accompany their passage in the atmosphere and underground. Our estimates for the infrasonic frequency ν≃5 Hz and overpressure δp∼0.3 Pa for relatively large size dark matter (DM) nuggets suggest that sensitivity of presently available instruments is already sufficient to detect very intense (but very rare) events today with existing technology. A study of much more frequent but less intense events requires a new type of instrument. We propose a detection strategy for a systematic study to search for such relatively weak and frequent events by using distributed acoustic sensing and briefly mention other possible detection methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Dark Universe: The Harbinger of a Major Discovery)
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Article
On the Origin of the Rhythmic Sun’s Radius Variation
by
Konstantin Zioutas
,
Marios Maroudas
and
Alexander Kosovichev
Symmetry 2022, 14(2), 325; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym14020325 - 05 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1100
Abstract
Based on helioseismological measurements (1996–2017), the entire Sun shrinks during solar maximum and regrows during the next solar minimum by about a few km (~10−5 effect). Here, we observe, for the first time, that the solar radius variation resembles a 225-day relationship [...] Read more.
Based on helioseismological measurements (1996–2017), the entire Sun shrinks during solar maximum and regrows during the next solar minimum by about a few km (~10−5 effect). Here, we observe, for the first time, that the solar radius variation resembles a 225-day relationship that coincides with Venus’ orbital period. We show that a remote link between planet Venus and Sun’s size must be at work. However, within known realms of physics, this is unexpected. Therefore, we can only speculate about its cause. Notably, the driving idea behind this investigation was some generic as-yet-invisible matter from the dark Universe. In fact, the 11-year solar cycle shows planetary relationships for a number of other observables as well. It has been proposed that the cause must be due to some generic streaming invisible massive matter (IMM). As when a low-speed stream is aligned toward the Sun with an intervening planet, the IMM influx increases temporally due to planetary gravitational focusing, assisted eventually with the free fall of incident slow IMM. A case-specific simulation for Venus’ impact supports the tentative scenario based on this investigation’s driving idea. Importantly, Saturn, combined with the innermost planets Mercury or Venus, unambiguously confirms an underlying planetary correlation with the Sun’s size. The impact of the suspected IMM accumulates with time, slowly triggering the underlying process(es); the associated energy change is massive even though it extends from months to several years. This study shows that the Sun’s size response is as short as half the orbital period of Mercury (44 days) or Venus (112 days). Then, the solar system is the target and the antenna of still unidentified external impact, assuming tentatively from the dark sector. If the generic IMM also has some preferential incidence direction, future long-lasting observations of the Sun’s shape might provide an asymmetry that could be utilized to identify the not isotropic influx of the assumed IMM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Dark Universe: The Harbinger of a Major Discovery)
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Article
The Echo Method for Axion Dark Matter Detection
by
Ariel Arza
and
Elisa Todarello
Symmetry 2021, 13(11), 2150; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym13112150 - 10 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 999
Abstract
The axion is a dark matter candidate arising from the spontaneous breaking of the Peccei–Quinn symmetry, introduced to solve the strong CP problem. It has been shown that radio/microwave radiation sent out to space is backscattered in the presence of axion dark matter [...] Read more.
The axion is a dark matter candidate arising from the spontaneous breaking of the Peccei–Quinn symmetry, introduced to solve the strong CP problem. It has been shown that radio/microwave radiation sent out to space is backscattered in the presence of axion dark matter due to stimulated axion decay. This backscattering is a feeble and narrow echo signal centered at an angular frequency very close to one-half of the axion mass. In this article, we summarize all the relevant results found so far, including analytical formulas for the echo signal, as well as sensitivity prospects for possible near-future experiments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Dark Universe: The Harbinger of a Major Discovery)
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Displaying articles 1-6

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Cosmic fluxes of multiple charge constituents of composite dark matter and their effects
Authors: M.Yu.Khlopov* et al
Affiliation: * NRNU MEPHI, Moscow; SFEDU, Rostov on Don, Russia and APC Laboratory, Paris, France
Abstract: The lack of positive signatures of supersymmetric particles at the LHC can imply non supersymmetric solutions for the problems of divergence of Higgs boson mass and origin of the electroweak symmetry breaking scale. The models of composite Higgs boson can solve these problems and give rise to stable -2n charged lepton-like particles. These particles bound with n nuclei of primordial helium form dark atoms of dark matter. Dark atom hypothesis can explain the puzzles of direct dark matter searches and is challenging for studies of signatures of multiple charged stable particles. Destruction of dark atoms by high energy cosmic rays or in Supernova explosions should lead to existence of cosmic fluxes of stable multiple charged particles and we discuss possible features and effects of this exotic component of cosmic rays.

Title: A forecast of the sensitivity of the DALI Experiment to Galactic axion dark matter
Authors: Juan F. Hernández Cabrera; Javier Miguel Hernandez; Enrique Joven Álvarez; J. Alberto Rubiño-Martín; Chiko Otani
Affiliation: -
Abstract: The axion is a long-postulated boson that can simultaneously solve two fundamental problems of modern physics: the charge-parity symmetry problem in the strong interaction and the enigma of dark matter. In this work we revisit the sensitivity of the Dark-photons$\&$Axion-Like particles Interferometer (DALI), a new Fabry-Pérot haloscope proposed to probe axion-like dark matter in the 25--250 $\mu$eV band. Its experimental approach possesses directionality, allowing the scanning of non-virialized dark matter, such as axion streams or miniclusters, adding a novel detection channel to the Halo dark matter search; and it also presents the advantage of using only existing equipment, thus mitigating the need for a costly technological development. The simulation included in this work allows us to conclude that DALI has the potential to probe Galactic axion dark matter with X sigma significance in the mass range of several dozen $\mu$eV, improving the state of the art for the detection of the quantum chromodynamics axion in a post-inflationary scenario by several orders of magnitude.

Title: The solar system as antenna array for the dark Universe.
Authors: TBD
Affiliation: TBD
Abstract: The gravitational deflection increases inversely with the incident velocity-squared. The widely assumed speed for the constituents of the dark sector (~300 km/s), makes the solar system bodies potential gravitational lenses with focal lengths within the solar system. Interestingly, also the intrinsic planetary mass distribution results to remarkable gravitational self-focusing effects. The flux enhancement of streams, from the dark Universe, can be up to a factor of order 108. This makes the solar system a large antenna array working individually or combined as amplifiers of streams or clusters from the dark sector. Singularity-like focal points move due to the permanent alteration of the orientation of the planetary gravitational lenses. Since there is not an efficient remote planetary force, (transient) planetary signatures are the key feature to analyze a series of measurements of some solar system observables of otherwise unknown origin. Direct dark matter searches be Earth bound or in outer space, could profit by implementing in their detection scheme invisible streams which have been introduced already following cosmological arguments. Thus, gravitationally occurring temporal flux enhancements, by the solar system bodies, of invisible streams from the dark Universe mimic a not extant remote planetary force. Of note, the impact caused by the ubiquitous as yet invisible basal flux, remains overlooked as being far below detection threshold. The aforementioned planetary scenario has been applied to a plethora of solar system observables. Also in bio-medicine society relevant novel results for cancer, but also for normal (i.e., not malignant) biomedical processes have been derived all showing striking and (as before) unexpected planetary signatures. The highly sensitive living matter could help to decipher the micro-physics of the dubbed as invisible matter from the dark Universe we live in. The favored candidates are: Anti Quark Nuggets, Magnetic monopoles and dark photons AND a combination from.

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