What if detecting dark matter, one of the most mysterious and elusive substances in the universe, were as easy as tuning your car’s radio to your favorite station?
According to the authors of a new study, a new method of detecting this mysterious non-luminous material inspired by the tuning mechanics of an automobile’s radio could soon help to solve the dark matter mystery.
This promising development in the hunt for answers to one of modern astronomy’s greatest unresolved issues was reported in a new study by researchers from King’s College London, Harvard University, UC Berkeley, and other institutions, revealing a new method of detecting hypothetical particles known as axions.
By using material that can emit light when “tuned” to the right frequency, the research team believes the most accurate dark matter detector ever made could soon be on the horizon.
The Dark Matter Mystery
Dark matter represents one of modern astrophysics’ greatest mysteries. The existence of this invisible material is inferred from its effects on visible matter and light. Based on such observations, dark matter is believed to account for close to 85% of all the mass in our universe. Despite its ubiquity, the true nature of this mysterious nonluminous material remains unknown.
Among the more promising modern research avenues seeking to resolve the mystery are studies involving axions—very light, but weakly interacting particles that in many ways behave like electromagnetic waves.
“We can now build a dark matter detector that is essentially a cosmic car radio, tuning into the frequencies of the wider galaxy until we find the axion,” said Dr. David Marsh, co-author and Ernest Rutherford Fellow at King’s College London.
“We already have the technology,” he added. “Now it’s just a matter of scale and time.”
Tuning to Dark Matter’s Frequency
In Marsh and his team’s new study, they introduced a novel detector constructed around what they call the Axion Quasiparticle (AQ), which describes a material structure capable of emitting very small amounts of light, but only when its frequency matches that of an axion.
Essentially, the detector the team designed operates in the highest ranges of the terahertz spectrum, where many theorists believe axions are probably most likely to be located.
Using manganese bismuth telluride (MnBi₂Te₄), a quantum material with unique magnetic and electronic properties, the team was able to successfully construct the AQ. Since this compound is highly sensitive to air, the team layered it down to just a few atomic sheets to fine-tune its properties.
“This means we get to see this kind of interesting physics, and see how it interacts with other quantum entities like the axion,” said Jian-Xiang Qiu, lead author from Harvard University.
Combining a two-dimensional electronic device and what the team calls ultrafast pump–probe optics, they report the observation of a coherent oscillation “which is uniquely induced by its out-of-phase antiferromagnetic magnon.”
“This represents direct evidence for the presence of the [dynamical axion quasiparticle],” the team writes in a new study detailing their work. Going forward, Marsh and his colleagues hope to scale up its novel AQ detector, a process which is likely to take around five years.
Extended Timeline for Solving the Mystery
However, it could still take another decade or more spent scanning terahertz frequencies before any potential axion signal is located.
Although it may be a long and tedious process from here, Marsh and his team remain excited about the prospects of their new detection method, and what the eventual detection of dark matter could mean in terms of expanding our understanding of the cosmos.
“This is a really exciting time to be a dark matter researcher,” Marsh said, reaffirming the conviction of his team that axion investigations offer a promising path toward resolving the dark matter mystery.
“We’re closing in on the axion—and fast,” he says.
The team’s paper, “Observation of the axion quasiparticle in 2D MnBi2Te4,” appeared in the journal Nature on April 16, 2025.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on X: @MicahHanks.