Hunting axions with Earth and magnets

In today’s episode, we explore the extraordinary journey of Jessica Fry, a physics PhD candidate at MIT and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, who transitioned from professional musical theater to hunting for dark matter. We dive into her work with the ABRACADABRA and DMRadio experiments, where she uses quantum amplifiers to search for the axion, a theoretical particle that behaves more like a cosmic wave than a speck of matter.We break down the science using Fry’s own analogies: searching for the "rip current" created when dark matter waves collide in a magnetic field. We also discuss the global momentum in the field, from the construction of the massive BabyIAXO magnet system in Germany to a revolutionary study that proposes using the Earth’s magnetic field itself as a giant dark matter detector. Join us as we discuss why "tuning" into the frequency of the universe is the next great frontier in physics.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/scitech-brief--6846358/support.This episode includes AI-generated content.