The discovery that could trigger the “biggest revolution in physics since Einstein’s theories” – 04/08/2022 – Science

Scholars in the suburbs of Chicago, in wehe found that the mass of a subatomic particle is not what it should be – an astonishing discovery that could revolutionize physical And our understanding of being.

The measurement is the first conclusive result of an experiment that contradicts one of the most important and successful theories in modern physics.

The team found that the particle, known as the W boson, has a greater mass than theories predicted.

Professor David Toback, a spokesman for the project, described the result as “shocking”.

This discovery could lead to the development of a new and more complete theory of how the universe works.

“If these results were corroborated by other experiments, the world would look different,” he told BBC News. “There has to be a paradigm shift. The hope is that maybe this outcome will cause the rupture.”

Famous astronomer Karl Sagan “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,” he said. We think we have it.”

Scientists at the CDF (Fermilab Collider Detector) in the US state of Illinois found only a small difference in the mass of the W boson compared to what theory says it should be – just 0.1%.

But if this is confirmed by other experiments, the effects would be enormous. The so-called Standard Model of particle physics has been predicting the behavior and properties of subatomic particles without any contradiction for 50 years. To this limit.

Another CDF spokesperson, Professor Giorgio Chiarelli, of INFN Sezione di Pisa, in ItaliaHe tells BBC News the research team didn’t believe it when they saw the results.

“No one expected this. We thought maybe we had something wrong.”

But the researchers painstakingly analyzed the results and tried to look for errors. And they didn’t find anything.

The finding, published in the prestigious scientific journal Science, may be related to evidence from other experiments at Fermilab and Large Hadron ColliderOn the Swiss-French border. These as-yet-unconfirmed conclusions point to deviations from the Standard Model, possibly as a result of a force of fifth nature that has yet to be discovered.

Physicists have known for some time that the theory needs updating. The concept is unable to explain the existence of an invisible substance in space called dark matter, nor the continuous accelerating expansion of the universe with a force called dark energy. Nor gravity.

Mitch Patel of Imperial College London in United kingdomwho works at the LHC, says he believes that if the Fermilab result is proven, it could be the first of several new results capable of making the biggest change in our understanding of the universe since then. Einstein’s theories of relativityover a hundred years ago.

“The hope is that these cracks turn into cracks, and eventually we will see some amazing signs that not only confirm that the Standard Model has collapsed as a description of nature, but also give us new direction to help us understand what we are seeing and what the new theory of physics looks like.”

“If this is true, then there are bound to be new particles and new forces to explain how to make this data consistent.”

But despite the enthusiasm, the materialistic community remains cautious. While Fermilab’s result is the most accurate measurement of W boson mass to date, it conflicts with two of the most accurate measurements from two separate experiments that conform to the Standard Model.

Professor Ben Alanache, a theoretical physicist at the University of Cambridge, says in England.

“We need to know what’s going on in the measurement. The fact that we have two other experiments that agree with each other and with the Standard Model and strongly disagree with this experiment worries me.”

All eyes are now on the Large Hadron Collider, which is set to resume experiments after a three-year renovation. The hope is that these tests will provide results that will lay the foundation for a new, more complete theory of physics.

“Most scientists would be a bit cautious,” Patel says.

“We’ve had similar situations before and been disappointed, but we all secretly hope that it really is, and that in our lives we can see the kind of transformation we read about in the history books.”