Giant atoms to detect dark matter

Individual atoms are hard to study and control because they are very sensitive to external perturbations. This sensitivity is usually an inconvenience, but our study suggests that it makes some atoms ideal as probes for the detection of particles that don't interact strongly with regular matter – such as dark matter.

A special kind of atom is necessary to make the interaction relevant. We worked out that the so-called "Rydberg atom" would do the trick. These are atoms with long distances between the electron and the nucleus, meaning they possess high potential energy. Potential energy is a form of stored energy. For example, a ball on a high shelf has potential energy because this could be converted to kinetic energy if it falls off the shelf.

In the lab, it is possible to trap atoms and prepare them in a Rydberg state – making them as big as 4,000 times their original size. This is done by illuminating the atoms with a laser with light at a very specific frequency.

This prepared atom is likely much heavier than the dark matter particles. So rather than a pool ball striking another, a more appropriate description will be a marble hitting a bowling ball. It seems strange that big atoms are more perturbed by collisions than small ones – one may expect the opposite (smaller things are usually more affected when a collision occurs).

The explanation is related to two features of Rydberg atoms: they are highly unstable because of their elevated energy, so minor perturbations would disturb them more. Also, due to their big area, the probability of the atoms interacting with particles is increased, so they will suffer more collisions.

http://ow.ly/iZO6508ih62