Dark Matter Detector Records One of the Rarest Events Known to Science

Thanks to the XENON1T dark matter detector lodged under the Gran Sasso mountains of Italy, scientists have recorded one of the rarest events to ever be detected: a special type of radioactive decay in xenon-124. In this case, a team of researchers managed to observe a special event called a double-electron capture, where two protons within a xenon atom simultaneously absorbed two electrons, resulting in two neutrons – described by the team as “a rare thing multiplied by another rare thing, making it ultra-rare”. This exciting observation took place thanks to XENON1T’s incredibly precise calibration – the instrument is designed to detect interactions of hypothetical dark matter particles with atoms in the 1,300 kilograms (2,866 pounds) of xenon isotope packed into the tank of the device.

Source: www.sciencealert.com