Physicists confirm a possible 5th force“If true, it’s revolutionary,” said Jonathan Feng, professor of physics and astronomy at University of California, Irvine and lead author of the new study. Theoretical physicists speak of four fundamental forces of nature. They are gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces that rule the inner workings of atoms. In recent months, the physics community has been buzzing with word of evidence for a possible 5th fundamental force. On August 14, 2016, physicists at University of California, Irvine announced they have confirmed evidence for this force on theoretical grounds, using experimental data acquired by Hungarian scientists in 2015. The journal Physical Review Letters has published the Irvine scientists’ study. Jonathan Feng, professor of physics and astronomy at University of California, Irvine and lead author of the new theoretical study said:
The UCI researchers analyzed data published last year from experimental nuclear physicists at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The Hungarian scientists, led by Attila Krasznahorkay, had been searching for dark photons, hypothetical elementary particles proposed as a carrier for dark matter. The Irvine scientists’ statement said:
Feng explained:
After study the Hungarian researchers data, as well as previous experiments in this area, the UCI group was able to show on theoretical grounds that the evidence strongly disfavors both matter particles and dark photons. They proposed a new theory that synthesizes the existing data and determined that the discovery could indicate a 5th fundamental force. The statement about the new work said it demonstrates that, instead of being a dark photon, the particle may be what scientists call a protophobic X boson. Timothy Tait, a co-author of the study, explained:
If it exists, this newfound boson interacts only with electrons and neutrons – and at an extremely limited range, these scientists said. Feng noted that further experiments are crucial:
Like many scientific breakthroughs, this one opens entirely new fields of inquiry. One direction that intrigues Feng is the possibility that this potential 5th force might be joined to the electromagnetic and strong and weak nuclear forces as:
Feng also speculated on a possible, separate dark sector with its own matter and forces:
Bottom line: Theoretical physicists at University of California, Irvine (UCI) announce evidence for a possible 5th fundamental force of nature.
http://earthsky.org/space/physicists-confirm-a-possible-5th-force |