Glimpses of a New Subatomic Particle?

[yevaud]

<p><strong><font size="2">Glimpses of a New Subatomic Particle?</font></strong> </p><p> Why does the universe contain so much matter and so little antimatter? Particle physicists have puzzled over that question for 40 years. Now, new measurements may point to a hole in the current explanation for the subtle differences between matter and antimatter and could provide a better understanding of how the universe came to be chock-a-block with matter.</p><p> The key lies in a slight flaw in the mirrorlike relationship between matter (common particles such as protons and electrons) and antimatter (particles with identical masses but opposite charges). Dubbed charge-parity (CP) violation, the asymmetry was first seen in 1964 in the decays of fleeting particles called K mesons and their antimatter partners. In 1967, Russian theoretical physicist Andrei Sakharov suggested that CP violation might explain how, shortly after it sprang into existence, the infant universe produced so much matter and essentially no antimatter. Unfortunately, that scenario doesn't quite hang together. Through decades of experimentation, physicists have hammered together a "standard model" of the known particles, and it provides far too little CP violation to explain the imbalance. </p><p> Now, researchers have spotted an anomaly that might help square the accounts. It appeared in results from the Belle particle detector at the KEK laboratory in Tsukuba, Japan, where physicists measure the decays of a family of particles known as B mesons. The Belle team studied how a B &deg; meson decays into a K meson and a particle called a pion and compared it with how the B &deg; meson's antimatter partner decays into the corresponding antiparticles. As a result of CP violation, the decay rates were asymmetric. The researchers also studied the decay of a related particle called a B+ meson into a K meson and a pion and compared it with its antimatter counterpart. They observed a second asymmetry. Previous theoretical work suggested that the two asymmetries ought to be the same. They were not.</p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Full Article</strong></font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[centsworth_II]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><span style="color:#666699">...The Belle team studied how a B &deg; meson decays into a K meson and a particle called a pion and compared it with how the B &deg; meson's antimatter partner decays into the corresponding antiparticles. As a result of CP violation, the decay rates were asymmetric....</span><br /><span style="color:#666699"> Posted by yevaud</span></DIV><br /><p>An article in New Scientist talks about similar study involving another meson.&nbsp; And according to the article, an experiment to verify the results will be done soon after the LHC starts operating. &nbsp; </p><p> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/15/15/1f4be5c5-b30e-4e92-8f60-8a3d7b31e803.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p><p style="font-style:italic">&nbsp;<span style="font-weight:bold">From the NewScientist article:</span><br />"The real proof could come later this year when the Large Hadron Collider switches on at CERN...&nbsp; [it] will make an unambiguous measurement within two months..."</p><p><em>"The B_s is one of a handful of mesons that transforms into its own antiparticle and back again 3 trillion times per second before decaying into other particles (see Diagram)."</em></p>3 trillion times per second!&nbsp; The mind boggles. <p>Two months. I wonder if that's the time to just do the experiment, or if the analysis can be done in that time as well.&nbsp; &nbsp;It looks like the LHC will be the Hubble Telescope of high energy physics with teams lined up with their experiment proposals in hand.</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[derekmcd]

<p><strong><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>"The Bs is one of a handful of mesons that transforms into its own antiparticle and back again 3 trillion times per second before decaying into other particles (see Diagram)."3 trillion times per second!&nbsp; The mind boggles.</strong></p><p><strong> Posted by centsworth_II</DIV></strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Quite the schizophrenic particle <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;<strong>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Two months. I wonder if that's the time to just do the experiment, or if the analysis can be done in that time as well.&nbsp; &nbsp;It looks like the LHC will be the Hubble Telescope of high energy physics with teams lined up with their experiment proposals in hand.&nbsp; </strong></p><p><strong>Posted by centsworth_II</DIV></strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I would imagine there is a limit to the number of experiments they can run due to the enormous amount of data they will be producing.&nbsp; I've read the low end estimate is 10 petabytes (1 billion megabytes) per year.</p><p>7000 scientists can only parse so much data at a time.&nbsp; I also imagine just getting the data out on their grid will take up a nice chunk of time.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[Samantha_Hildreth]

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>Thank God you guys made a physics forum. Thank you. &nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#000000">"Collector of Quarks and Neutrinos"  </font></p><br /><p> </p><p> </p> </div>