The hypothesis that there is a fifth force of nature is now being reinforced. It’s all because scientists at the Fermilab particle accelerator, in Illinois (USA), have obtained new results showing that muons – subatomic particles, smaller than an atom – do not behave as predicted by the prevailing theory in physics, dubbed the standard theory. particle physics model. The scientists’ conclusion is synthetic: there may be an unknown force affecting muons, a fifth force of nature.
The forces of nature that operate on a daily basis can be divided into only four: gravitational force, electromagnetic force, strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force. These are the four fundamental forces that determine how things and particles interact with each other in the universe. The strange behavior of muons has made scientists question the existence of a fifth force.
Already in 2021, Fermilab researchers have announced results that do not align with the Standard Model of particle physics, precisely because of the behavior of muons, which are particles similar to electrons, but heavier (with 200 times more mass). Now they’re reporting the results again with more precision, using four times as much data, which point to the same conclusion, though still not definitive proof of a fifth force of nature.
To do this, scientists studied how muons move while traveling through a magnetic field. Like the electron, the muon has a small internal magnet that causes it to oscillate, like a spinning top, while in a magnetic field. However, the speed of this oscillation differs from what was predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics — the fundamental theory for the field — and continues to point to the possibility of a mysterious factor in the field or, as the researchers put forward, a fifth. A force of nature that resolves this discrepancy between theoretical prediction and actual experimental results. The results were published Thursday in the journal Physical review letters.
“fifth force”
“We’re looking for an indication that the muon is interacting with something we don’t know about. It could be anything: new particles, new forces, new dimensions, new properties of space-time, anything,” says Fermilab researcher Brendan Casey, in statements to Reuters.
“I love crazy things, so I would like it to be something like a violation of the Lorentz invariance or a new property of space-time itself. That would be crazy and revolutionary,” adds Brendan Casey, who alludes to the Lorentz invariance, which states that the laws of physics are the same everywhere.
Graziano Venanzoni, a researcher at the University of Liverpool and one of the project leaders, focuses on the fifth force of nature. “We think there could be another force, something we don’t know about at this time. It’s something different, what we call the ‘fifth force,’” he says. location From the BBC. The researchers hope to have more confirmation of these findings in the next two years, they told the BBC.
If there really is a fifth force, it would be one of the scientific milestones of the last century, as the presence of a new force of nature is unexpected in the Standard Model of particle physics.
This wouldn’t be the first time that physics has been discovered beyond this basic theory of physics – which, despite many correct predictions, cannot explain the entire universe. For example, galaxies have continued to accelerate their expansion since the Big Bang, instead of being slowed down by gravity, something scientists say is driven by an unknown force – dark energy.
However, the presence of a new force, which would join the four fundamental forces of nature, would create a “fifth force” for investigation and could lead to a revision of the Standard Model of particle physics.
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