“Shocking” measurement of W boson mass revolutionizes Physics – What scientists have found

After ten years of researchscientists from the US Department of Energy’s Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois have announced that they have achieved the most accurate measurement of boson W mass, one of the fundamental subatomic particles.

The measurement is twice as accurate as the previous best measurement, but was described as unexpectedly “shocking” because it differs – by about 0.1% – from what is predicted by the prevailing theory from the 1970s, the Standard Model. of Particle Physics. As a result, the global community of physicists has been disturbed and estimates are being made – once again – that major revisions may be needed, perhaps a real scientific revolution in the way we view matter and the universe.

The researchers, led by experimental particle physicist Coutwall of Duke University in North Carolina, who published in the journal Science, said that if the measurement of boson W was confirmed, then improvements would probably have to be made. Template or even its extensions in new directions. However, future measurements from another scientific experiment will be needed to shed more light on the issue.

The boson W, discovered in 1983, is a “messenger” or carrier of the weak nuclear power and is responsible (along with his “cousin”, boson Z) for most nuclear processes, such as in the Sun or during the decay of particles. Its mass is about 80 times that of a proton.

According to the new measurement, it is 80.433 MeV (megaelectronvolts), with an error margin of just plus / minus 9.4 MeV. Its previous best measurement was from CERN’s ATLAS experiment (80,370 MeV with margin of error plus / minus 19 MeV). The theoretical prediction is for a mass of 80,357 MeV.

Researcher David Tobak, a researcher at A&M University in Texas, described the findings as “shocking” and told the BBC that “if confirmed by other experiments, the world would look different. There should be a paradigm shift. “The hope is that maybe this result will be what will eventually break the barrier.”

The other representative of the scientific consortium, Professor Giorgio Chiarelli of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics, stated that the researchers could not believe their eyes, when they saw the results of the measurements. “It simply came to our notice then. “We thought we were doing something wrong,” he said, “but despite their subsequent efforts, they did not find any fault.”

Despite its longevity, the Standard Model can not explain basic things in the universe, such as dark matter and dark energy. This is why many scientists take it for granted that it is inadequate as a global description of nature, but they have not yet found the way to a New Physics, as new particles and new forces are sought.

All eyes are now on him CERN Large Accelerator (LHC) in Europewhich is to be reopened after three years of maintenance and upgrade.

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