Hints of new physics or unforeseen behavior by the so-called beauty quark, a sub-atomic particle, could reveal flaws in physics' decades-old theory foundations.
According to a BBC News report, the findings came from data gathered by researchers who were working at the Large Hadron Collider.
Specifically, it is a giant machine built in a circular tunnel 27-kilometers long underneath the French-Swiss border. This machine is smashing beams of proton particles together to investigate physics' limit as it's commonly known.
The said report specified that the Standard Model or SM is the best theory there is that explains the fine-scale workings of the world around humans.
However, it's been known for some time that the SM is a "stepping stone" to a more comprehensive understanding of the Universe.
The Beauty Quark's Mystery Behavior
The beauty quark's mystery behavior may be the outcome of an as-yet-undiscovered sub-atomic article that exerts force. However, the physicists stress that more data and analysis are needed to validate such results.
They added that there are 'world's building blocks' that are even tinier than the atom. Some of these sub-atomic particles are made up of even smaller constituents, while others cannot be broken down into something else. The latter-mentioned are identified as fundamental particles.
All known essential particles that make up the Universe and the forces they are interacting with are described by the Standard Model.
However, it cannot explain some of the biggest mysteries in today's physics, like dark matter or the nature of gravity. Physicists know that it must sooner or later be replaced by a more advanced structure.
Leptoquark
The LHC was built to explore physics outside the Standard Model. Therefore, if the results from LHCb are verified, they would represent an essential discovery.
The LHCb is producing beauty quarks, which typically do not exist in nature although they are produced at the LHC. Sub-atomic particles go through a process identified as decay, where a single particle is transforming into several, less massive ones.
Based on the SM, beauty quarks should decay into equal amounts of electron and muon particles. Rather, the process produces more electrons than muons
One probable explanation is that an as-yet-undiscovered particle called 'leptoquark' was involved in the decay process, making it easier to yield electrons.
According to University of Cambridge's Dr. Paula Alvarez Cartelle, who was one of the scientific leaders behind this finding, this new result provides enticing hints of the existence of a new fundamental particle or force that's interacting differently with these particles.
Three-Sigma Measurement
The scientific leader also said that the more data there are, the stronger result has turned out to be. This measurement, she added, is the most substantial in a series of LHCb results from the past 10 years that all appear to line up, and could all point towards a universal explanation.
The results have not changed, she continued explaining, although their uncertainties have shrunk, increasing their capability of seeing probable differences with the SM.
In particle physics, the gold standard for exploration is a level also known as five-sigma, in which there is a one in every 3.5 million chance of the result becoming an accident or coincidence.
Essentially, the measurement from LHCb is said to be three-sigma. This means that there is approximately one in every 1,000 chances that the measurement is a numerical coincidence.
Therefore, according to the team leader, University of Manchester's Professor Chris Parkes, people need not get carried away by such findings which were presented in Nature Physics for publication.
This discovery of a new force in nature, he added, is the particle physics' holy grail. The present insight of the Universe's constituents falls unusually short.
A similar report from inews said that it remains unknown what 95 percent of the Universe is made of, or why there is a huge imbalance between matter and anti-matter.
A Ridddle YouTube video below shows how the Large Hadron Collider works:
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