What do touch screens, radiation therapy and shrink wrap have in common? They were all made possible by particle physics research. Discoveries of how the universe works at the smallest scale often lead to huge advances in technology we use every day.
Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, along with collaborators from 46 other institutions and seven countries, are conducting an experiment to put our current understanding of the universe to the test. The first result points to the existence of undiscovered particles or forces. This new physics could help explain long-standing scientific mysteries, and the new insight adds to a storehouse of information that scientists can tap into when modeling our universe and developing new technologies.
The experiment, Muon g-2 (pronounced Muon g minus 2), follows one that began in the ‘90s at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, in which scientists measured a magnetic property of a fundamental particle called the muon.
The Brookhaven experiment yielded a result that differed from the value predicted by the Standard Model, scientists’ best description of the makeup and behavior of the universe yet. The new experiment is a recreation of Brookhaven’s, built to challenge or affirm the discrepancy with higher precision.
The Standard Model very precisely predicts the muon’s g-factor — a value that tells scientists how this particle behaves in a magnetic field. This g-factor is known to be close to the value two, and the experiments measure their deviation from two, hence the name Muon g-2.
[Update: This story appears to be a dupe of Latest Muon Measurements Hint at Cracks in the Standard Model; as there are already comments here, it will remain posted for discussion. --martyb]
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The Muon g-2 experiment (pronounced "gee minus two") is designed to look for tantalizing hints of physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. It does this by measuring the magnetic field (aka the magnetic moment) generated by a subatomic particle known as the muon. Back in 2001, an earlier run of the experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory found a slight discrepancy, hinting at possible new physics, but that controversial result fell short of the critical threshold required to claim discovery.
Now, Fermilab physicists have completed their initial analysis of data from the updated Muon g-2 experiment, showing "excellent agreement" with the discrepancy Brookhaven recorded. The results were announced today in a new paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Journal References:
1.) B. Abi, et al. Measurement of the Positive Muon Anomalous Magnetic Moment to 0.46 ppm [open], Physical Review Letters (DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.141801)
2.) T. Albahri et al. (The Muon g−2 Collaboration) Magnetic-field measurement and analysis for the Muon g−2 Experiment at Fermilab [open], Physical Review A (DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.103.042208)
3.) T. Albahri et al. (Muon g−2 Collaboration)Measurement of the anomalous precession frequency of the muon in the Fermilab Muon g−2 Experiment [open], Physical Review D (DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.103.072002)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 09 2021, @09:45PM (15 children)
Does this mean the scientists can turn metal into gold? Do they promise us the secret to external life?
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 09 2021, @10:10PM (4 children)
No, but it brings us one step closer to understanding the Grand Unified Taxation Theory which postulates that Democrats think they can tax everything all the time without any negative effect.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 09 2021, @11:29PM (2 children)
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 10 2021, @12:15AM (1 child)
$130 million is a far cry from the $3 trillion that Court-Stuffing Joe plans to spend on transgender bathrooms, extra-wide stadium seats, H-1B subsidy programs and mandatory vaccinations.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 10 2021, @12:39AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 10 2021, @04:30PM
You poor fellow. Try to get some help for your Trumpkin Tourette's. This is a discussion about science, not politics, but we know it's hard for you to control yourself.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Snotnose on Friday April 09 2021, @10:42PM
No, it just means people can still build careers on string theory, despite 40 years of no real proof. Nor any way to prove anything.
I actually remember sitting in a restaurant in the 80s (the CoCos at Lake Murray and Baltimore for you San Diego soylentils, it's gone now) reading the Scientific American article on string theory. I remember 2 things:
1) My waitress is older than mom
2) Wonder if that waitress over there would go out with me.
I actually ate at that place 3-4 times a week, I got to really love the older waitress, never had the hot chick wait on me.
In the 80s I was working full time, school part time, getting a BSC in Math. Didn't have time to date except in the summer, didn't have time to cook but had money to eat out.
CSB. In that era there was a Rubio's fish taco joint right outside SDSU. Went in for dinner one night, I'd been promoted to manager a month before and went through a 2-3 day "how do be an effective manager". Manager of Rubios went off on some girl for some failure or another. In front of the whole place. I quietly, but in earshot of his victim, told him he was a horrible manager and several reasons why.
Fallout? It was finals week, didn't go back for months and neither were there.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Friday April 09 2021, @11:24PM
They've been able to do the opposite for a while....
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 3, Insightful) by sjames on Friday April 09 2021, @11:42PM (4 children)
Scientists have known how to transmute base metals into gold for many years now. It's just that it' more expensive than just buying found gold (and might be slightly radioactive).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 10 2021, @03:32AM (3 children)
Really? Do you have a link for this? Because I am genuinely curious and interested in reading it. Thank you.
(Score: 4, Informative) by khallow on Saturday April 10 2021, @01:44PM (1 child)
Eventually, you'll get it high enough concentration of Hg 196 to move on to the next stage - neutron bombardment. I'm following this outline [wikihow.com] at this point. Bombard with moderated neutrons (slowed down by a moderator so that they are both more likely to impact Hg 196 nuclei and get absorbed without shattering the nuclei). Hg 196 + n -> Hg 197, Hg 197 -> Au 197 + e is the chain of nuclear reactions. Hg 197 apparently has a half life of about 2.7 days. Au 197 is stable. You'll eventually want to chemically separate out the Au 197 (so that it doesn't react with neutrons as well becoming a different mercury isotope and thus useless). Nitric acid as mentioned in the outline is a great way to do that.
Repeat until you go bankrupt because you're not going to recoup the fines from the environment leakage of gaseous mercury from the first step or the massive energy investment from both stages.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Taxi Dudinous on Saturday April 10 2021, @05:23PM
What's the big idea? Posting science stuff in this thread? Good gravy! ;^)
(Score: 2) by sjames on Sunday April 11 2021, @05:08PM
Here. [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 3, Funny) by maxwell demon on Saturday April 10 2021, @10:35AM (1 child)
Actually, it is very easy to turn metal into gold, provided you start with the right sort of metal. To be precise, you should start with the metal known as gold. Turning it into gold then is as easy as doing nothing.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 11 2021, @05:00AM
So the secret to external life is to do nothing?
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Sunday April 11 2021, @04:43PM
Figure electricity out, invent electroplating, and turn any leaden sculpture into a gold sculpture. It has to be lead so they don't think you've hollowed it out. Nobody will know the whole thing isn't gold, as lead is almost as heavy.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 10 2021, @12:39AM (2 children)
Hello Eratosthenes,
As MartyB noted, you've got nothing on me. [soylentnews.org]
We don't need to shame fat electrons, muons should be accepted into the standard model. [nature.com] I have faith that your commitment to social justice at the level of theoretical and experimental physics is as complete as mine.
(Score: 1) by NPC-131072 on Saturday April 10 2021, @12:42AM
Oh no... but at least the mod-squad will not get me.
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by aristarchus on Saturday April 10 2021, @05:12AM
Perhaps, if it is duped on SN, it becomes Muon g-2 +2? So it balances out all the Dark Matter in the alimentary tract of the Minutary Buzzsared?
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 10 2021, @09:23AM
I found your mom's g-spot - where's my mysterious new physics?