Pupils from Craigour Park Primary School in Edinburgh interviewed some of our staff and PhD students about their research. In this article, they quiz Dr XinRan Liu about his hunt for dark matter.
You say you are the ‘hunter of the invisible’. What do you mean by this?
The reason we go to mines for the dark matter is because on the surface there is hot solar radiation. It’s not on the surface, we dig deep underground.
Describe to us what the illusive dark matter is.
The truth is that we don’t know. Something should be there holding a galaxy together. There is a lot of mass that is holding these things together. If you’re in the centre of Mercury you’ll be going really fast.
What genre of films do you like?
I like most movies. I like musicals. My favourite movie is Pulp Fiction. Actually – can I change that? Ironman – but you’re not allowed to watch that yet.
If you had to live on an abandoned island, what three things would you take?
I would want a speaker. No! A radio, a Lord of the Ring book and a lot of sun cream.
What kind of food do you like to cook?
I love cooking Chinese food and pasta. Gluten free for me!
Do you like Irn Bru?
The famous Scottish smooth drink. Yes, I do know what it is because I grew up in Scotland. It’s chemically radioactive orange and it is so full of sugar. There used to be an Irn Bru bar. Sugar is such a good answer.
What is the most disastrous cooking accident you have had?
I once put salt in my food rather than sugar. Woops.
Links and resources
Check out all our Craigour Park Primary School interviews.
Read more about this project with Craigour Park Primary School, Edinburgh.
Learn more about XinRan’s research.