{"id":721,"date":"2026-07-13T15:53:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T13:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/?page_id=721"},"modified":"2026-07-13T15:59:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T13:59:03","slug":"science","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/science\/","title":{"rendered":"Science"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"wp-block-group alignfull cygno-section cygno-science-narrative has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide cygno-galactic-signal has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-54d22900 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"cygno-section-eyebrow wp-block-paragraph\">Physics motivation<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading cygno-section-title\" id=\"cygno-galactic-signal-title\">A directional search for a Galactic signal.<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide cygno-galactic-narrative cygno-media-layout cygno-media-layout--wide cygno-media-layout--sticky is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-group cygno-signal-figures cygno-media-layout__media cygno-media-sticky is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a84350a1e0d9&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a84350a1e0d9\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large cygno-media-frame cygno-media-figure cygno-media-figure--panoramic wp-lightbox-container\"><img data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"191\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"999\" src=\"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/wp-content\/themes\/cygno-theme\/assets\/images\/tracks\/galaxy-to-track.webp\" alt=\"From Galactic dark matter wind to an optical recoil track\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-group cygno-signal-secondary is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a84350a1e2f4&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a84350a1e2f4\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large cygno-media-frame cygno-media-figure wp-lightbox-container\"><img data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"610\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1248\" src=\"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/wp-content\/themes\/cygno-theme\/assets\/images\/tracks\/galactic-coordinates.webp\" alt=\"Galactic coordinates used for directional dark matter searches\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a84350a1e49d&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a84350a1e49d\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large cygno-media-frame cygno-media-figure wp-lightbox-container\"><img data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"576\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"832\" src=\"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/wp-content\/themes\/cygno-theme\/assets\/images\/tracks\/limits-with-fog.webp\" alt=\"Dark matter sensitivity limits showing the neutrino fog\"\/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-group cygno-galactic-copy cygno-media-layout__content is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"cygno-lede cygno-media-narrative__step wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the matter in the Universe does not emit or absorb light. We infer it from gravity: galaxies rotate too fast, galaxy clusters hold together too strongly, and the large-scale structure of the Universe requires more mass than ordinary atoms can provide.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"cygno-media-narrative__step wp-block-paragraph\">Direct detection is hard because a dark-matter particle, if it interacts at all, would leave a small and rare signal. Radioactivity, cosmic activation, detector materials, electronics, and environmental effects can also create events in the same energy range.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"cygno-media-narrative__step wp-block-paragraph\">This is why rare-event counts are not enough on their own. A count can reveal an excess, but it cannot prove that the excess is Galactic rather than local. CYGNO adds another observable: the shape and direction of the recoil track.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"cygno-media-narrative__step wp-block-paragraph\">If dark matter forms a halo around the Milky Way, the Solar System moves through that halo as it orbits the Galactic center. In the laboratory this motion should appear as a dark-matter wind, producing nuclear recoils with a preferred direction rather than a purely random orientation.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"cygno-media-narrative__step wp-block-paragraph\">Measuring recoil direction can separate a Galactic pattern from isotropic backgrounds and from backgrounds fixed to the laboratory. Directional information may also help searches keep working in the region affected by the neutrino floor, where neutrino interactions become an irreducible source of events for non-directional detectors.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"cygno-media-narrative__step wp-block-paragraph\">CYGNO uses low-density gas and optical readout to preserve enough track topology to probe low-mass dark matter. Its large optical-image datasets require advanced reconstruction, artificial intelligence, and machine-learning methods for event selection, background rejection, and detector monitoring.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-group alignfull cygno-section has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-54d22900 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"cygno-section-eyebrow wp-block-paragraph\">Why directionality?<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading cygno-section-title\">A track can carry information that a count alone cannot.<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"cygno-lede wp-block-paragraph\">Directionality turns a rare-event search into a question of origin. A dark-matter recoil should remember the motion of the detector through the Galactic halo; many backgrounds should not.<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide cygno-card-grid is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-group cygno-card has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The dark-matter wind<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Solar System moves through the Milky Way halo. In the detector this should create a preferred recoil direction, like a wind seen from a moving laboratory.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-group cygno-card has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Beyond a simple excess<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An excess of counts can be ambiguous. A population of tracks aligned with a Galactic direction would carry a more specific signature.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-group cygno-card has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Against local backgrounds<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Radioactive and instrumental backgrounds are tied to detector materials, shielding, cavern conditions, or electronics. A Galactic signal should not stay fixed to those sources.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-group cygno-card has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Past the neutrino floor<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neutrinos eventually become an unavoidable background. Directional information can help distinguish dark-matter recoils from neutrino-induced events and keep the search moving into new territory.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n<\/section>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-721","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=721"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":735,"href":"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/721\/revisions\/735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.infn.it\/cygnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}