02/26/2026
Sucrose as a possible detector material for dark matter
The nature of dark matter remains a mystery. Particles of different masses are possible candidates. For some time now, researchers have been searching for very light dark matter particles, for which novel detection methods must be developed.
A working group at the Max Planck Institute for Physics has experimented with sugar as a detector material for the first time. Initial tests have been promising-but there are still a few hurdles to overcome.
Text CRESST is an experiment designed for light WIMPs (weakly interacting massive particles), which are dark matter particles. The detection principle is based on a behavior familiar from billiard: when a dark matter particle collides with one of the atomic nuclei in the crystal, it bounces back. The energy of the recoil can be measured as a minimal increase in temperature and as a faint light.
The benefits of sugar
Searching for light dark matter requires special detector materials, as Federica Petricca, scientist at MPP and spokesperson for CRESST, explains: "We are always looking for new appropriate detector materials, better if they consist of light atomic nuclei. This is because a very light dark matter particle cannot disturb much a heavy atomic nucleus, just as a marble cannot move a bowling ball when it collides with it."
Their considerations led the scientists to ordinary household sugar, sucrose. "At first, the idea seemed far-fetched to us. We found no evidence of previous tests," reports Federica Petricca. Yet the material is almost perfect: in addition to carbon and oxygen, sugar has a total of 22 hydrogen atoms. And with only one proton, hydrogen is the lightest element that exists.
However, dark matter is unlikely to be discovered with sugar from the supermarket. "Since we need particularly pure and large crystals for our experiments, we have to grow them ourselves in a complex process that takes several weeks," explains Federica Petricca.
Promising results
The sugar cubes were equipped with temperature and light sensors and exposed to a source of radioactivity. A light signal and a rise in temperature were indeed recorded on the crystal. "The result surprised us, because sucrose forms a rather soft crystal," explains Federica Petricca. "Materials with a hard crystal lattice are more favorable, since particle collisions result in larger temperature changes."
Nevertheless, the team is very satisfied with its creative, "sweet" approach: "We have shown for the first time that sugar is fundamentally suitable as materials for detecting dark matter," says Federica Petricca. "However, only after many more tests and comparisons with other materials will it become clear whether a sucrose detector can be realized." So, the sugar still has to prove itself.
Source: Max Planck Institute for Physics