super/collider: Dark Matter

The next instalment of super/collider at Second Home sees Dr Chamkaur Ghag speak on one of the biggest challenges in science – understanding the nature of 'Dark Matter'. This mysterious substance makes up 85% of the Universe's mass, has never been observed and we are not sure what it is made of. Its existence is inferred from the gravitational effect it has on ordinary matter and its abundance has been measured from cosmological observations. Scientists are operating cutting-edge instruments around the world in deep underground laboratories, in mines or under mountains, in an attempt to detect this elusive substance. Dr Chamkaur Ghag will describe where we stand, and how we may be approaching discovery.

Dr Chamkaur Ghag is a lecture in the High Energy Physics group at University College London (UCL). He has been conducting research in the field of dark matter for over 12 years, and leads the direct dark matter search activity at UCL. Chamkaur works on the LUX experiment which is the world’s most sensitive dark matter experiment and is based in a former gold mine in S. Dakota, USA, as well as on the LZ experiment, the ultimate discovery instrument, presently under construction. Chamkaur also teaches scientific communication and environmental physics courses to undergraduate students at UCL.