By tracking and studying the details of the precise movement of asteroids in the solar system, scientists hope to reveal the “fifth force” that may exist in the universe outside the models of physical laws, according to Sky News Arabia.
The fifth power and the secrets of the world
According to a new study published in the Journal of Cosmology and Stellar Particle Physics, this new approach could reveal very fine and precise particles through the motions of these asteroids that may illuminate and explain some of the greatest mysteries of the universe. Like dark matter and dark energy that exist in the universe.
Scientists have long believed in the validity of the theory that there is a “fifth force” that goes beyond the familiar physical forces that explain the nature of the movement of astronomical bodies. objects and the influence of their forces on the world.
And the “fifth force” – if it is discovered – will add a new force to our reality that is traditionally governed by four basic forces, namely:
• Electromagnetic forces.
• Strong nuclear powers.
Weak nuclear forces
A research team led by University of California physicist Yu Dai Tsai proposes a revolutionary way to search for a possible hidden fifth force in the universe by studying the movement of asteroids, which in turn can influence celestial bodies from great distances. .
Through the principle of “proof of concept”, Kay and his colleagues identified a new approach for “studying the possibility of exploring the fifth force using astronomical asteroid movement data” and emphasizing the importance of observing the movement of the asteroid and studying and analyzing the data.
This fifth force is very interesting, Tsai said, and there are different motivations for searching for this force because it may be related to the explanation of many phenomena of fundamental physics.
The idea of believing in a fifth power comes from the inability to explain the mysterious phenomena observed in the world. For example, the presence of dark matter or dark energy responsible for the expansion of the universe, which scientists still cannot determine. And the fifth force could help figure out the nature of dark energy and dark matter, assuming they can be detected. But according to this hypothesis, it is possible that the accelerating expansion of the universe could involve an undiscovered force, not just dark energy, but the existence of a fifth force.
In a separate study published last year, Tsai proposed sending a space mission that could detect very fine particles of dark matter that may be associated with the star of the Sun, and through them discover the presence of this fifth force that affects and influences things. movement in our solar system
It is worth noting that prior to this study, many researches were conducted in observing changes in the movement of planets, moons, and celestial bodies in their orbits in the universe. But Tsai and his colleagues were the first to propose the idea of studying the movement of near-Earth asteroids to prove the existence of this fifth force.
This new approach was partly inspired by the huge amount of detailed data on the movement of asteroids in the solar system, which were supposed to protect Earth from their catastrophic effects on the planet.
Tsai explained: We all know very well that these asteroids can be dangerous to us. “Some of these asteroids are close to Earth and could threaten and collide with our planet, so they are tracked very carefully.”
NASA and Space Maneuvers
Using optical and radar observations, scientists have been able to track the motions of thousands of asteroids with such high accuracy that their trajectories over the next 100 years or more can now be predicted.
In addition, a number of space missions have been sent to visit and closely monitor asteroids, such as NASA’s Lucy mission.
• NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is the latest spacecraft to collect surface samples from an asteroid that will return to Earth later this year.
• NASA’s DART spacecraft collided with an asteroid in 2022, a maneuver that apparently changed the target space rock’s orbit.
• All these efforts revolutionized the understanding of the properties and movements of asteroids and made it possible to explain the changes in their movement by different forces such as the forces of solar radiation or the gravitational forces of objects on each other. By studying this high-resolution data, it is possible to isolate the mysterious forces acting on these asteroids, including the fifth force – if any.
To this end, Tsai and his colleagues show that evidence of a fifth force may emerge from long-term observations of asteroid motion. In particular, the team points to a phenomenon known as the “evolution” of these objects, which is a slight change in their axis of rotation when these objects are at their closest point in their orbit to the sun.
The researchers were able to study motion data for nine near-Earth asteroids to search for signs of the fifth force, but note that future studies could better extend this search approach to more than a million asteroids or space rocks.
