Axions are hypothetical, extremely light particles proposed in the 1970s to explain why the strong nuclear force respects charge-parity symmetry. They are also a leading candidate for dark matter. The ALPS II experiment at the DESY research center in Germany tries to make and detect axions in the lab.
The method is called "light shining through a wall." A powerful laser passes through 12 superconducting magnets, where a tiny fraction of photons could turn into axions. An opaque wall blocks the light, but axions would pass through, and 12 more magnets on the other side would turn some back into light, collected in an optical cavity.
In its first science campaign, from February to May 2024, ALPS II found no evidence for axions; a small excess was most likely stray light of about two photons per hour. Still, it was more than 20 times more sensitive than similar experiments, and upgrades are underway. The results will appear in Physical Review Letters.
Source: Phys.org, November 10, 2026 — https://phys.org/news/2026-11-world-sensitive-lab-based-axion.html
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