According to a study by theoretical physicists at the
University of California, Irvine, recent findings suggesting the potential
discovery of a previously unidentified subatomic particle may be proof of a
fifth fundamental force of nature.
Professor of physics and astronomy Jonathan Feng remarked,
“If true, it’s revolutionary. We have been aware of the strong and weak
nuclear forces, electromagnetic, gravity, and these four fundamental forces for
many years. This finding of a potential fifth force, if verified by additional
research, will fundamentally alter our view of the universe and have
implications for the unification of forces and dark matter.
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ experimental nuclear
physicists were looking for “dark photons,” particles that would
represent invisible dark matter, which physicists believe accounts for
approximately 85% of the universe’s mass, when they came across a study from
mid-2015. The UCI researchers then learned about this work. A radioactive decay
anomaly discovered by the Hungarians suggests the presence of a light particle
that is just 30 times heavier than an electron.
Feng stated, “The experimentalists were unable to
declare that it was a new force. They merely noticed a disproportionate number
of occurrences that pointed to a novel particle, but they were unable to
determine whether it was a matter particle or a force-carrying particle.
The UCI team examined the data from the Hungarian scientists
as well as the results of all other prior studies in this field and
demonstrated that the evidence strongly contradicts both matter particles and
dark photons. However, they put forth a novel explanation that integrates all
of the available evidence and concluded that the discovery might point to a
fifth fundamental force. Their original research was posted online in late
April on the public arXiv server, and on Friday, a follow-up paper that
expanded on the findings of the earlier work was posted on the same platform.
The research from UCI suggests that the particle might
actually be a protophobic X boson rather than a dark photon. This newly
discovered boson exclusively interacts with electrons and neutrons, and only
within a very small range, as opposed to the regular electric force, which affects
both protons and electrons. Professor of physics and astronomy Timothy Tait, a
co-author of the analysis, stated that “no other boson that we have
discovered has this identical feature. The ‘X boson,’ where ‘X’ stands for
unknown, is another name for it occasionally.
Feng stated that additional research is essential. The
energy needed to create the particle, which is not very heavy, has been
available in laboratories since the 1950s and 1960s, he added. But because of
its weak interactions, it has been difficult to find. However, due to the new
particle’s little weight, numerous experimental groups operating in tiny labs
all over the world can verify the early findings if they know where to look.
This discovery, like many others in science, opens up completely
new areas of study.
Feng finds it intriguing that this fifth force may
potentially interact with electromagnetic, strong, and weak nuclear forces as
“manifestations of one grander, more fundamental force.”
Feng made the speculative claim that there might also be a
distinct dark sector with its own matter and forces, citing physicists’ grasp
of the standard model. It’s feasible that these two sectors communicate with
one another and engage in basic yet subtle interactions, he suggested.
“This protophobic force we’re seeing as a result of the Hungarian
experiment may be a manifestation of this dark sector power. In a broader
sense, it complements our first investigation into the characteristics of dark
matter.
