{"id":209623,"date":"2021-03-24T13:37:40","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T10:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-latest-data-from-cern-hints-at-a-whole-new-force-of-nature\/"},"modified":"2021-03-24T13:37:40","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T10:37:40","slug":"the-latest-data-from-cern-hints-at-a-whole-new-force-of-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-latest-data-from-cern-hints-at-a-whole-new-force-of-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"#The latest data from CERN hints at a whole new force of nature"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36897cc88d0\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36897cc88d0\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-latest-data-from-cern-hints-at-a-whole-new-force-of-nature\/#Strange_anomaly\" >Strange anomaly<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-latest-data-from-cern-hints-at-a-whole-new-force-of-nature\/#New_results\" >New results<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-latest-data-from-cern-hints-at-a-whole-new-force-of-nature\/#Interpreting_the_findings\" >Interpreting the findings<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#The latest data from CERN hints at a whole new force of nature<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                            When Cern\u2019s gargantuan accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), fired up ten years ago, hopes abounded that new particles would soon be discovered that could help us unravel physics\u2019 deepest mysteries. Dark matter, microscopic black holes and hidden dimensions <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/from-black-holes-to-dark-matter-an-astrophysicist-explains-26019\">were just some<\/a> of the possibilities. But aside from the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/explainer-the-higgs-boson-particle-280\">spectacular discovery<\/a> of the Higgs boson, the project has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/could-the-higgs-nobel-be-the-end-of-particle-physics-18978\">failed to<\/a> yield any clues as to what might lie beyond the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/explainer-standard-model-of-particle-physics-2539\">standard model of particle physics<\/a>, our current best theory of the micro-cosmos.<\/p>\n<p>So our <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2103.11769\">new paper<\/a> from LHCb, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/explainer-how-does-an-experiment-at-the-large-hadron-collider-work-42846\">one of the four giant LHC experiments<\/a>, is likely to set physicists\u2019 hearts beating just a little faster. After analyzing trillions of collisions produced over the last decade, we may be seeing evidence of something altogether new \u2013 potentially the carrier of a brand new force of nature.<\/p>\n<p>But the excitement is tempered by extreme caution. The standard model has withstood every experimental test thrown at it since it was assembled in the 1970s, so to claim that we\u2019re finally seeing something it can\u2019t explain requires extraordinary evidence.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Strange_anomaly\"><\/span>Strange anomaly<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The standard model describes nature on the smallest of scales, comprising <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/explainer-what-are-fundamental-particles-38339\">fundamental particles<\/a> known as leptons (such as electrons) and quarks (which can come together to form heavier particles such as protons and neutrons) and the forces they interact with.<\/p>\n<p>There are many different kinds of quarks, some of which are unstable and can decay into other particles. The new result relates to an experimental anomaly that was <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/prl\/abstract\/10.1103\/PhysRevLett.113.151601\">first hinted at in 2014<\/a>, when LHCb physicists spotted \u201cbeauty\u201d quarks decaying in unexpected ways.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, beauty quarks <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>eared to be decaying into leptons called \u201cmuons\u201d less often than they decayed into electrons. This is strange because the muon is in essence a carbon-copy of the electron, identical in every way except that it\u2019s around 200 times heavier.<\/p>\n<p>You would expect beauty quarks to decay into muons just as often as they do to electrons. The only way these decays could happen at different rates is if some never-before-seen particles were getting involved in the decay and tipping the scales against muons.<\/p>\n<p>While the 2014 result was intriguing, it wasn\u2019t precise enough to draw a firm conclusion. Since then, a number of other anomalies have appeared in related processes. They have all individually been too subtle for researchers to be confident that they were genuine signs of new physics, but tantalisingly, they all seemed to be pointing in a similar direction.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \">\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" alt=\"Image of the LHCb experiment.\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" class=\" lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/390889\/original\/file-20210322-19-nytkho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" data-lazy=\"true\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/390889\/original\/file-20210322-19-nytkho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=399&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/390889\/original\/file-20210322-19-nytkho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=399&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/390889\/original\/file-20210322-19-nytkho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=399&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/390889\/original\/file-20210322-19-nytkho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/390889\/original\/file-20210322-19-nytkho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/390889\/original\/file-20210322-19-nytkho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\"\/><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/science\/2021\/03\/24\/the-latest-data-from-cern-hints-at-a-whole-new-force-of-nature\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthenextweb.com%2Fscience%2F2021%2F03%2F24%2Fthe-latest-data-from-cern-hints-at-a-whole-new-force-of-nature%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: The LHCb experiment. Image via CERN\" data-title=\"Share The LHCb experiment. Image via CERN on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share The LHCb experiment. Image via CERN on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>The LHCb experiment. Image via CERN<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The big question was whether these anomalies would get stronger as more data was analysed or melt away into nothing. In 2019, LHCb performed the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/prl\/abstract\/10.1103\/PhysRevLett.122.191801\">same measurement<\/a> of beauty quark decay again but with extra data taken in 2015 and 2016. But things weren\u2019t much clearer than they\u2019d been five years earlier.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"New_results\"><\/span>New results<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Today\u2019s result doubles the existing dataset by adding the sample recorded in 2017 and 2018. To avoid accidentally introducing biases, the data was analysed \u201cblind\u201d \u2013 the scientists couldn\u2019t see the result until all the procedures used in the measurement had been tested and reviewed.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.imperial.ac.uk\/people\/mitesh.patel\">Mitesh Patel<\/a>, a particle physicist at Imperial College London and one of the leaders of the experiment, described the excitement he felt when the moment came to look at the result. \u201cI was actually shaking\u201d, he said, \u201cI realized this was probably the most exciting thing I\u2019ve done in my 20 years in particle physics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When the result came up on the screen, the anomaly was still there \u2013 around 85 muon decays for every 100 electron decays, but with a smaller uncertainty than before.<\/p>\n<p>What will excite many physicists is that the uncertainty of the result is now over \u201cthree sigma\u201d \u2013 scientists\u2019 way of saying that there is only around a one in a thousand chance that the result is a random fluke of the data. Conventionally, particle physicists call anything over three sigma \u201cevidence\u201d. However, we are still a long way from a confirmed \u201cdiscovery\u201d or \u201cobservation\u201d \u2013 that would require five sigma.<\/p>\n<p>Theorists have shown it is possible to explain this anomaly (and others) by recognizing the existence of brand new particles that are influencing the ways in which the quarks decays. One possibility is a fundamental particle called a \u201cZ prime\u201d \u2013 in essence a carrier of a brand new force of nature. This force would be extremely weak, which is why we haven\u2019t seen any signs of it until now, and would interact with electrons and muons differently.<\/p>\n<p>Another option is the hypothetical \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/home.cern\/news\/news\/physics\/hunt-leptoquarks\">leptoquark<\/a>\u201d \u2013 a particle that has the unique ability to decay to quarks and leptons simultaneously and could be part of a larger puzzle that explains why we see the particles that we do in nature.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Interpreting_the_findings\"><\/span>Interpreting the findings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>So have we finally seen evidence of new physics? Well, maybe, maybe not. We do a lot of measurements at the LHC, so you might expect at least some of them to fall this far from the standard model. And we can never totally discount the possibility that there\u2019s some bias in our experiment that we haven\u2019t properly accounted for, even though this result has been checked extraordinarily thoroughly. Ultimately, the picture will only become clearer with more data. LHCb is currently undergoing a major upgrade to dramatically increase the rate it can record collisions.<\/p>\n<p>Even if the anomaly persists, it will probably only be fully accepted once an independent experiment confirms the results. One exciting possibility is that we might be able to detect the new particles responsible for the effect being created directly in the collisions at the LHC. Meanwhile, the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.belle2.org\">Belle II experiment<\/a> in Japan should be able to make similar measurements.<\/p>\n<p>What then, could this mean for the future of fundamental physics? If what we are seeing is really the harbinger of some new fundamental particles then it will finally be the breakthrough that physicists have been yearning for for decades.<\/p>\n<p>We will have finally seen a part of the larger picture that lies beyond the standard model, which ultimately could allow us to unravel any number of established mysteries. These include the nature of the invisible dark matter that fills the universe, or the nature of the Higgs boson. It could even help theorists unify the fundamental particles and forces. Or, perhaps best of all, it could be pointing at something we have never even considered.<\/p>\n<p>So, should we be excited? Yes, results like this don\u2019t come around very often, the hunt is definitely on. But we should be cautious and humble too; extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Only time and hard work will tell if we have finally seen the first glimmer of what lies beyond our current understanding of particle physics.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\" lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/157464\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><em>This article by\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/harry-cliff-103546\">Harry Cliff<\/a>, Particle physicist, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-cambridge-1283\">University of Cambridge<\/a>; <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/konstantinos-alexandros-petridis-1219851\">Konstantinos Alexandros Petridis<\/a>, Senior lecturer in Particle Physics, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-bristol-1211\">University of Bristol<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/paula-alvarez-cartelle-1219212\">Paula Alvarez Cartelle<\/a>, Lecturer of Particle Physics, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-cambridge-1283\">University of Cambridge<\/a>,\u00a0is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/evidence-of-brand-new-physics-at-cern-why-were-cautiously-optimistic-about-our-new-findings-157464\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/science\/2021\/03\/24\/the-latest-data-from-cern-hints-at-a-whole-new-force-of-nature\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#The latest data from CERN hints at a whole new force of nature&#8221; When Cern\u2019s gargantuan accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), fired up ten years ago, hopes abounded that new particles would soon be discovered that could help us unravel physics\u2019 deepest mysteries. Dark matter, microscopic black holes and hidden dimensions were just some&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":209624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/03\/CCApr18_LEPTON-frontis.jpg&signature=42ea451fe218d457a3dfabce791b5ebe","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[88678,71612],"class_list":["post-209623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-cern","tag-insights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}