Experiment attempts to snare a dark energy 'chameleon'
Thursday, August 20, 2015 - 15:00
in Astronomy & Space
Is dark energy hard to detect because it's hiding from us? According to a recent theory, hypothetical particles called chameleons vary in mass depending on nearby matter: in the vacuum of space, they have a small mass and large reach, pushing space apart. In the lab, surrounded by matter, they have a large mass and small reach, making them difficult to detect. A new experiment seeks to find chameleons by lessening the screening.