Dark Matter Detector Devised
HUESCA, Spain, Sept. 30, 2009 -- A scintillating bolometer containing a crystal comprised of bismuth, germinate and oxygen (BGO) has been developed to detect the dark matter of the universe. Researchers from the University of Zaragoza in Spain and France's Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS) developed the bolometer, which has been tested at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory in Huesca, Spain. To work properly, the device has to be kept supercold, at temperatures near absolute zero (-273.15 °C), and housed under tons of...