Chinese scientists unlock possible key to dark matter after almost 90 years

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by Victoria BelaJanuary 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM

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Chinese scientists at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) have achieved the first direct observation of the Migdal effect, a quantum phenomenon proposed in 1939. The Migdal effect describes how a collision between a neutral particle and an atomic nucleus causes the nucleus to recoil and trigger a secondary electronic recoil, generating a detectable signal. This observation, published in Nature, marks a significant step after 87 years of theoretical existence. Researchers believe this breakthrough could provide a new method for detecting dark matter, the universe's invisible mass that interacts gravitationally. The team's findings offer a potential key to unlocking the mysteries surrounding dark matter, a major unsolved problem in physics.

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Nature 30% Leningrad 40% China 60% University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences 70% Arkady Migdal ×390%

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dark matter 100% migdal effect 90% quantum effect 70% atomic nucleus 60% particle physics 60% chinese scientists 50% university of the chinese academy of sciences 40% modern physics 40%

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South China Morning Post

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dark matter migdal effect quantum effect atomic nucleus particle physics chinese scientists university of the chinese academy of sciences modern physics

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