{"id":32410,"date":"2026-05-11T09:03:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T07:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/2026\/05\/11\/molecules-shed-light-on-dark-matter\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T10:25:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T08:25:38","slug":"molecules-shed-light-on-dark-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/en\/2026\/05\/11\/molecules-shed-light-on-dark-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Molecules shed light on dark matter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

11.05.2026<\/p>\n\n\n<\/jgu-base-heading>\n\n\n\n

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Analysis of precision measurements of unexplored interactions between electrons and atomic nuclei give information of new particles<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dark matter particles could be mediators of the interaction between electrons and atomic nuclei, as shown by a study conducted by junior group leader Dr. Konstantin Gaul, Dr. Lei Cong, and Professor Dr. Dmitry Budker, of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), Helmoltz Institute Mainz (HIM) and the PRISMA++<\/sup> Cluster of Excellence. Their work, published last week in the renowned journal Physical Review Letters, presents new constraints on previously unexplored candidates for dark matter and more generally, some hypothetical particles that are not included in the Standard Model of particle physics (SM).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using results from precision measurements on barium monofluoride (BaF) molecules, the team constrained these interactions mediated by Z\u2019 bosons for the first time. Z\u2019 bosons are hypothetical mediators of the weak interaction and possible dark matter particles in several SM extensions. \u201cThese results address a significant blind spot in physics: a regime of forces between electrons and nuclei that had remained unexplored by both laboratory experiments and cosmological data,\u201d explained Gaul. Our universe is made up of about four percent of visible, or ordinary, matter. This includes planets, stars, and life on Earth. The remaining 96 percent of the universe are invisible and consist of dark matter and dark energy, with dark matter making up about 23 percent. Astrophysical observations confirm its presence throughout the cosmos, where it, for example, plays an important part on the structure of galaxies. However, we don’t know what particles make up dark matter. Many theories and ongoing experiments are looking for an answer to this open question. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An interdisciplinary approach to a fundamental question in particle physics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To determine the contribution of Z\u2019 bosons to the interaction between electrons and nuclei, which gives rise to the so-called hyperfine structure of atoms, the authors used the supercomputer MOGON 2 at JGU to reinterpret existing results of precision measurements of parity violation in BaF molecules. This study did not only require good knowledge of the weak interaction and the properties of these beyond SM bosons, but also a solid foundation of atomic, molecular and nuclear physics, making this a truly interdisciplinary project. \u201cKonstantin Gaul and Lei Cong are new-generation theorists working at the interface of atomic, molecular, and optical physics, particle, and nuclear physics,\u201d said Budker. \u201cHaving them embedded in a mostly experimental group within HIM and PRISMA++<\/sup> has led to highly productive collaborations and very interesting and important results, of which this work is just one example.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the search for \u201cnew physics\u201d such an approach might be able to shed light on long-standing questions. As Gaul explained: \u201cBecause the dense internal environment of polar molecules naturally amplifies subtle physical effects, they act as powerful laboratories for detecting new forces that are otherwise invisible to science.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study also found similar bounds by analyzing the experiment with the atom cesium 133, which is a more traditional method of studying the interactions between electrons and atomic nuclei. However, in contrast to studies of experiments with atoms, the analysis of diatomic molecules, such as BaF, currently does not depend on nuclear theory. This means that, since they are not affected by uncertainties related to nuclear physics, the results can be more precise. \u201cThe current study proves that measurements of molecular physics are an emerging tool for new physics, rivaling traditional atomic methods. Our findings demonstrate that future experiments with heavy diatomic species like BaF will boost sensitivity by 100-fold, pushing deeper into unexplored territory to hunt for the hidden forces of the universe,\u201d concluded Gaul. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Publication:<\/strong>
Konstantin Gaul et al., Constraints on New Vector Boson Mediated Electron-Nucleus Interactions from Spectroscopy, Physical Review Letters, 136, 181805, 6 May 2026,
DOI: 10.1103\/d19m-s856
https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1103\/d19m-s856<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/download.uni-mainz.de\/presse\/08_prisma++_budker_gaul_cong.JPG<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo\/\u00a9: privat<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further links<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.prisma.uni-mainz.de<\/a> \u2013 PRISMA++<\/sup> Cluster of Excellence<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.hi-mainz.de\/<\/a> \u2013 Helmholtz Institute Mainz<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/press.uni-mainz.de\/amplified-search-for-new-forces\/<\/a> \u2013 press release \u201cAmplified search for new forces\u201c (1 February 2023)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/press.uni-mainz.de\/the-broken-mirror-can-parity-violation-in-molecules-finally-be-measured\/<\/a> \u2013 press release \u201cThe broken mirror: Can parity violation in molecules finally be measured?\u201c (3 June.2020)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/press.uni-mainz.de\/atomic-parity-violation-research-reaches-new-milestone\/<\/a> \u2013 press release \u201cAtomic parity violation research reaches new milestone\u201c (13 November 2018)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Analysis of precision measurements of unexplored interactions between electrons and atomic nuclei give information of new particles<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":840,"featured_media":32403,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[105],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release"],"primary_category":{"id":105,"name":"Press release","slug":"press-release","parent":0,"breadcrumb":"Press release"},"media":{},"image":{"url":"https:\/\/cms.zdv.uni-mainz.de\/fb08-prisma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/05\/08_prisma_budker_gaul_cong-scaled.jpg","credit":""},"index":"11.05.2026","assigned_date":"","external_link":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/840"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32410"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32448,"href":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32410\/revisions\/32448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prisma.uni-mainz.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}