A proposed particle detector contains strands of hanging DNA that are severed when high-energy particles pass through – and it could allow us to track particle paths with nanoscale precision
Physics
18 April 2022
By Alex Wilkins
DNA’s famous double helix could be used to detect particles LAGUNA DESIGN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
A detector consisting of a forest of DNA strands could track how subatomic particles move more precisely than existing devices.
Current state-of-the-art particle detectors can sense the mass of particles with incredibly high precision, but tracking the paths of particles through a detector isn’t always easy.
Ciaran O’Hare at the University of Sydney, Australia, and his colleagues think a DNA-based version could help. The idea, first proposed by a different group in 2012, promises to allow researchers to track …
Existing subscribers, please log in with your email address to link your account access.
Paid quarterly
Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)
