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Are Axions Dark Matter? episode artwork

Nov 2, 2026 21 min

Are Axions Dark Matter?

from PBS Space Time Hosted by PBS

To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACESign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetimeCheck out the Space Time Merch Storehttps://pbsspacetime.com/Sign Up for the Space Time Mailing List:https://tinyurl.com/yx9cusk5What does the strong nuclear force, the fundamental symmetries of nature, and a laundry detergent have in common? They’re all important parts of the tale of the axion - a tale whose end may take us beyond the standard model and solve one of the most vexing mysteries in astrophysics. Hosted by Matt O'DowdWritten by Matt O'Dowd and Graeme GosselGraphics by Leonardo Scholzer and Adriano LealPost Production: Yago Ballarini, Max Willians, Pedro OsinskiDirected by: Andrew KornhaberExecutive Producers: Eric Brown and Andrew KornhaberEnd Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRl6-nb4iOnsij-vnpAjp0QThe story of the axion is a classic physics tale: intrepid scientists delve deep into trackless mathematics in search of answers to a mystery. And there, against all expectations, they find the hint of a completely new and unexpected denizen of the natural world. In this case the mystery was a subtle inconsistency in the behavior of the fundamental forces. And the unexpected discovery? A brand new particle - the axion - which, while not proven to exist, may explain a much more famous conundrum. The axion may explain dark matter. Special Thanks to Our PatreonsBig Bang SupportersAlexander TamasDavid BarnholdtDavid NicklasFabrice EapJuan BenetJustin LloydMorgan HoughQuasar SupportersChristina OegrenMark HeisingVinnie FalcoHypernova SupportersChuck ZegarDanton SpiveyDonal BotkinEdmund FokschanerHank SJohn HofmannJohn PollockJohn R.

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