MPI for Gravitational Physics📣 New title picture 🖼️
The image shows a schematic of the tracks of superheavy charged gravitinos in underground neutrino detectors.
The postulated superheavy gravitinos are considered as possible candidates for dark matter, which still remains mysterious. In 2025, researchers from the Quantum Gravity & Unified Theories department showed how neutrino detectors could observe these particles.
When a superheavy, charged gravitino passes through the detector's scintillator fluid, photons are produced that generate a characteristic “glow” along the trajectory of the gravitino. The detectors should be able to observe this trace.
ℹ️ https://www.aei.mpg.de/1276007/a-new-candidate-for-dark-matter
📄 https://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/fm6h-7r78 (Open Access)
ℹ️ https://www.aei.mpg.de/26038/quantum-gravity-and-unified-theories
Picture: K. Beil, Formgeber/Milde Science Communication
