For decades, scientists have been searching for the elusive axion particle, a hypothetical elementary particle proposed in the 1970s to explain certain properties of the strong nuclear force. While the existence of the axion particle has yet to be confirmed, new research has developed methods for exploring its potential existence.

In a paper published in Physical Review Letters, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) describe a new method for detecting axion particles that involves a unique combination of optical and microwave techniques. By monitoring both the microwave and optical signals produced by a superconducting material, the team is able to detect changes in the optical properties that could indicate the presence of an axion particle.

This new method could be the key to unlocking the mysteries of the axion particle. With further research and development, it could finally provide the answers that physicists have been searching for.

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source: Phys.org