In an exciting scientific breakthrough, scientists at Fermilab, a prestigious accelerator facility of particles in the United States, are getting closer and closer to unraveling the existence of the so awaited fifth force of nature.
This discovery, which could revolutionize our understanding of the Universe, was revealed after promising results announced in 2021.
see more
3 signs face challenges and life lessons on August 14, 2023;…
Canine hero: dog 'saves' tutor and goes viral on the web; see the…
Until then, it was believed that all forces in the Universe could be categorized into four groups: gravity, electromagnetism, strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force.
However, Fermilab researchers, through detailed analyzes and experiments in their particle accelerator, found solid evidence of the existence of a fifth force of nature.
Since the announcement of these groundbreaking results, the Fermilab research team has been tirelessly dedicated to gathering more data and reducing measurement uncertainties. And the efforts are paying off.
According to Brendan Casey, Senior Scientist at Fermilab, the latest discoveries have reduced uncertainty by a factor of two, which represents a significant advance in the field of physical.
The groundbreaking experiment called “g minus two (g-2)” aims to accelerate subatomic particles known as muons. These particles are being propelled at high speed around a ring 15 meters in diameter, traveling around 1,000 times at nearly the speed of light.
Although the evidence is already promising, the Fermilab team has not yet obtained conclusive evidence in this cutting-edge experiment. Uncertainties related to the standard model of muon oscillation in theoretical physics have increased, which has created additional challenges for researchers.
It's as if the goal posts have been moved to experimental physicists, making the search for answers even more challenging.
The researchers are confident that over the next two years they will be able to secure the data they need to reach their goal. It is believed that the theoretical uncertainty will be reduced enough in this period, allowing significant advances in this area of knowledge.
However, a rival team at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located in Europe, is also looking for these impactful results. The competition between the teams promises to be fierce and arouses the interest of the entire communityscientific.
(Image: playback / internet)
But what is the Standard Model anyway, and why is it so important that experimental results don't fit its predictions? According to scientists, to understand this, we need to go back to the basics of physics.
We discovered that everything around us, from the simplest objects to the most complex, is made up of atoms. And these atoms, in turn, are made up of even smaller particles.
It is these particles that interact with each other and give rise to the four fundamental forces of nature: electricity and magnetism (electromagnetism), nuclear forces and gravity.
The Standard Model is a theory that has accurately described the behavior of these particles for over 50 years without making any mistakes. But now scientists have the opportunity to challenge that theory and explore new horizons.
