Experiment Muon g-2. Christian Garavaglia Meteored Argentina 19/09/2023 15:14 4 min
A group of scientists near the city of Chicago, in the United States, believes they are close to discover the existence of the fifth fundamental force of nature. Although more data is needed to confirm the results, if they can be obtained, this could indicate the beginning of a new revolution in the world of physics.
The fifth force of nature? Physicists find particle behaving strangely
The team detected signs that suggest a unusual behavior in subatomic particles known as múonsthus contradicting the predictions of the Standard Model.
The search for the fifth force is not just a theoretical exercise, but has the potential to transform our understanding of the universe and open up new perspectives in physics.
The four fundamental forces
In an article published in Physical Review Lettersthe researchers – all part of the international Muon g-2 collaboration Fermilab– claim to have found new evidence that Muons, particles similar to electrons but 200 times heavier, don’t behave the way they shouldaccording to current theories.
And this difference, they say, may be due to the action of a fifth force of nature, still unknown to us.
Although the evidence is compelling, the team admits that does not yet have conclusive evidence to validate its hypotheses.
Quadrupole magnet leading to Muon g-2 particle storage ring. Source: Fermilab.
For half a century, physicists have studied how the universe works with the Standard Model, which describes reality through the interactions of different particles through four fundamental forces: electromagnetism, gravity, strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force.
The controversy with gravity
As indicated by media, So far the theory has only managed to fully describe three of the four forces: electromagnetic, strong nuclear and weak nuclear. Each of them, in effect, operates through the action of a messenger particle, which is the carrier of the minimum unit of each force.
The Standard Model has not yet incorporated gravity into its description, something that has been attempted, unsuccessfully, for several years. It is assumed that, as with other forces, gravity should also have its own carrier particle, the “graviton“, but no one could find her until now.
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O onin turn, is an elementary particle that is distinguished by its peculiarity: does not disintegrate into other particles. Currently, it is only detected in cosmic rays and in laboratories. Its existence in the universe is not constant, as its presence is extremely fleeting, lasting 2.2 microseconds.
Could this discovery change our understanding of the universe?
The fundamental basis of our universe lies in the configuration of atoms, which in turn are made up of even smaller particles. These particles interact with each other, giving rise to the four fundamental forces of nature.
If this discovery is confirmed, We could be facing one of the most important scientific milestones of recent centuries.
2023-09-19 18:14:11
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