Every minute of every day, over a dozen dark matter detectors across the globe lie patiently in wait -- their bellies filled with ultra-pure liquid that is hungry for a dark matter particle. Dark matter particles should, in theory, interact with the liquid inside of these detectors, leaving behind a unique signature. But what if dark matter is not comprised of particles? A pair of theorists is considering the possibility . In particular, they are looking at a type of defect in space that might have been the result of cooling in the early universe and could be the dark matter for which everyone is searching. Before the arrival of a topological defect, the apparent time difference between the clocks is zero. As the topological defect passes the first clock, they two clocks de-synchronize. Then, as the topological defect passes the second clock, the de-sychronization disappears. Credit: Andrei Derevianko, arXiv:1311.1244 Atomic clocks, the theorists argue , could be just the
brought to you by the American Physical Society