ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Axion Dark Matter Experiment

Okay, so imagine you're playing hide and seek with your friends, but one of your friends is super good at hiding and you can't find them anywhere. You know they're there because you saw them at the start of the game, but they're really good at hiding and you can't hear or see them anymore.

Well, scientists have a similar problem. They know that there is something called dark matter in the universe, but they can't see it or detect it in the usual way that they detect other things in space. It's like trying to find your friend who's really good at hiding in the game of hide and seek.

One theory is that dark matter is made up of tiny particles called axions. But just like your friend who's really good at hiding, these axions are very hard to find. That's where the axion dark matter experiment comes in.

Scientists have built a special machine that they hope will be able to detect axions. It's kind of like a really sensitive radio that can tune in to different frequencies. The machine is called a haloscope and it looks a bit like a big donut.

So, the scientists set up the haloscope in a clean room and use it to listen for any signals that might indicate the presence of axions. They wait and wait and wait, because the axions are very, very hard to find. But if they hear the right signal, that could be proof that axions exist and that they are the dark matter that we've been looking for.

So, in summary, scientists are looking for something called dark matter and they think that it might be made up of tiny particles called axions. They're using a special machine called a haloscope to try and detect these axions and prove that they exist. It's like trying to find a really good hider in a game of hide and seek.