BGU to Develop Israel’s First Dark Matter Detector
BGU to Develop Israel’s First Dark Matter Detector
June 13, 2017
Natural Sciences, Press Releases
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev will construct and operate an advanced dark matter detector. The initiative is partly funded by a joint grant from the American National Science Foundation and the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation.
Prof. Ron Folman
Dark matter is hypothesized to be one of the basic components of the universe, and five times more abundant than ordinary matter. It has yet to be detected, although several astronomical measurements have corroborated its existence, leading to an international effort to observe it directly.
The detector will be based on the theory that some types of dark matter produce a signal imitating a magnetic field and may therefore be detectable by extremely sensitive magnetic sensors. The project will bring together experts in the fields of atomic spectroscopy, magnetic sensors, lasers and optics, atomic clocks, and advanced electronics.
BGU Prof. Ron Folman, the Ruth Flinkman-Marandy and Ben Marandy Chair in Quantum Physics and Nanotechnology, will lead the project in collaboration with Prof. Derek Jackson Kimball of California State University, East Bay.
“Astronomical observations have brought the scientific community to the conclusion that a very large portion of the mass in the universe does not emit light and is therefore invisible to our telescopes,” says Prof. Folman. “This has led to the dark matter paradigm. The essence of this project is to find new methods to detect this material.”
Prof. Folman also heads BGU’s Atom Chip Lab. Among the BGU researchers involved in the project are Prof. Reuben Shuker, head of the quantum magnetometry group; Dr. David Levron; Dr. Andrei Ben-Amar Baranga; Dr. Asaf Gross; as well as Dr. David Groswasser and Dr. Meni Givon from the Atom Chip Lab.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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