Exploring Innovative Approaches in Dark Matter Detection: A Novel Proposal for Ganymede

A Physicist Wants to Turn Jupiter’s Largest Moon into a Gigantic Dark Matter Detector

In a groundbreaking proposal, physicist William DeRocco has suggested that Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter, could potentially be transformed into a colossal dark matter detector. This idea is part of his preprint published on arXiv, which proposes that massive dark matter particles may have struck and penetrated Ganymede’s thick, icy surface, leaving behind distinct craters.

According to DeRocco’s theory, these enormous dark matter particles would create “dark matter craters” – smaller dents on the moon’s surface composed of unique minerals brought up from deep within Ganymede’s oceans. If true, this could potentially reveal some unexpected insights about cosmic dark matter.

The concept may sound ambitious, but astrophysicist Bradley Kavanaugh, who was not involved in the study, has endorsed DeRocco’s idea, stating that it is “important to remember that solving a physics mystery often means testing bold, unconventional ideas.”

In principle, this proposal could be promising. However, it is crucial to note that there is currently no definitive proof that such massive dark matter particles actually exist.

Source: gizmodo.com