The HEiKA STAR-Team DELight lead by Belina von Krosigk (KIP, UHD) has been successful in the latest approval round of the German Research Foundation (DFG) with its funding application for a new DFG Research Unit in physics.
Congratulations!
A novel experiment in the search for low mass dark matter
The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved a four‑year, €5.3 million grant for the new DFG Research Unit “DELight: Direct Search Experiment for Light Dark Matter with Superfluid Helium.” The project, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Belina von Krosigk at the Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, brings together six research teams from the Universities of Heidelberg and Freiburg and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Its aim is to detect ultra‑light dark‑matter particles—candidates with masses below that of a proton—by exploiting the unique properties of ultra‑cold, super‑fluid helium.
Heidelberg will develop the cryogenic platform that cools the helium to a few millikelvins above absolute zero, while KIT will construct large‑area magnetic microcalorimeters based on superconducting quantum sensors to record the minute temperature rises that would signal a dark‑matter interaction. Freiburg will supply highly sensitive material‑screening equipment to minimise background from natural radioactivity. The DELight detector will operate in a deep underground laboratory in Switzerland, further shielded by lead and copper.
As part of the HEiKA STAR funding programme (DELight Demonstrator), seed funding has been provided since 2025 for a technological proof of concept. This enabled the careful testing and optimisation of all relevant elements of the experiment in preparation for the Research Unit's application. If successful, DELight will provide the first direct experimental evidence of dark matter, opening a new window onto the invisible majority of the universe.
