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New particles, new physics: An experiment at Fermilab points to undiscovered forms of matter and energy lurking in the universe April 16, 2021, 7:41 PM IST
The author is a science and technology writer.
There might be dozens of undiscovered subatomic particles in the universe, and new physics might be lurking around the corner, if the results of a recent scientific experiment, conducted at Fermilab in the US, are correct. An international team of 200 particle physicists spread among seven countries made the announcement earlier this month, immediately setting the world of physics abuzz.
Graziano Venanzoni, one of the leaders of the experiment and a physicist at the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics, underscored the importance of the experiment in a suitably grandiose manner, calling the day of the announcement, “An extraordinary day, long awaited not only by us but by the whole internat
Humans humbled by a wobbling particle
We know less about the universe than we thought.
By Saswato DasUpdated April 8, 2021, 2:57 p.m.
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A particle storage ring at Fermilab in Batavia, Ill., where subatomic particles called muons appear to be violating the laws of physics.FERMILAB/U.S. DEPT OF ENERGY/NYT
The world of physics was abuzz this week with the announcement that a subatomic particle called a muon, observed anew in an incredibly sophisticated experiment, did not behave as expected.
It was remarkable to get such strong evidence that physicists have not been accurately characterizing things that are happening in the physical world. But perhaps more stunning is that this also means there could be many more things in existence that we donât know about at all. There might be dozens of undiscovered subatomic particles in the universe.