Jan 10, 2025 08:14 PM
Will physics ever prove that gravitons are real?
https://bigthink.com/hard-science/will-p...-are-real/
KEY POINTS: Many physicists speculate that a force-carrying particle exists for gravity and have named this theoretical particle the “graviton.” However, evidence for the graviton remains elusive, likely due to the extreme weakness of gravity compared to the other fundamental forces. Other quantum field theories have been validated through confirmatory evidence, but physicists must find such evidence for quantum gravity before confirming the existence of gravitons.... (MORE - details)
Mathematical methods point to possibility of particles long thought impossible
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1069881
EXCERPTS: From the early days of quantum mechanics, scientists have thought that all particles can be categorized into one of two groups — bosons or fermions — based on their behavior.
However, new research by Rice University physicist Kaden Hazzard and former Rice graduate student Zhiyuan Wang shows the possibility for particles that are neither bosons nor fermions. Their study, published in Nature Jan. 8, mathematically demonstrates the potential existence of paraparticles that have long been thought impossible.
[...] Using advanced mathematics, such as Lie algebra, Hopf algebra and representation theory, as well as a pictorial method based on something known as tensor network diagrams to better handle equations, Hazzard and Wang were able to perform abstract algebraic calculations to develop models of condensed matter systems where paraparticles emerge. They showed that, unlike fermions or bosons, paraparticles behave in strange ways when they exchange their positions with the internal states of the particles transmuting during the process.
While they are groundbreaking on their own, these models are the first step toward a better understanding of many new physical phenomena that could occur in paraparticle systems. Further development of this theory could guide experiments that could detect paraparticles in the excitations of condensed matter systems. “To realize paraparticles in experiments, we need more realistic theoretical proposals,” said Wang.
The discovery of new elementary particles and properties in materials could be used in quantum information and computation such as secretly communicating information by manipulating the internal states of particles... (MORE - missing details, no ads)
800-mile-long 'DUNE' experiment could reveal the hidden dimensions of the universe
https://www.livescience.com/physics-math...e-universe
EXCERPTS: For more than a century, scientists have been fascinated by the possibility that hidden, minuscule spatial dimensions could be influencing the physics of our familiar three-dimensional world. Despite decades of experimental searches, however, there has yet to be concrete evidence of these extra dimensions. Now, a recent study proposes a way to advance this search: using the upcoming Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) to probe these hidden dimensions through neutrino behavior.
[...] The study, published in the Journal of High Energy Physics in November, proposes that the enigmatic behavior of neutrinos could be explained if, in addition to the familiar three dimensions of space, there exist extra spatial dimensions on the scale of micrometers (millionths of a meter). While tiny by everyday standards, such dimensions are remarkably large compared with the femtometer (one-quadrillionth of a meter) scales typical of subatomic particles.
"The theory of large extra dimensions, first proposed by Arkani-Hamed, Dimopoulos, and Dvali in 1998, suggests that our familiar three-dimensional space is embedded within a higher-dimensional framework" of four or more dimensions, Masud explained. "The primary motivation for this theory is to address why gravity is vastly weaker than the other fundamental forces in nature. Furthermore, the theory of large extra dimensions offers a potential explanation for the origin of the tiny neutrino masses, a phenomenon that remains unexplained within the Standard Model of particle physics."
If extra dimensions exist, they could subtly alter neutrino oscillation probabilities in ways detectable by DUNE, according to the study authors. These distortions could appear as a slight suppression of expected oscillation probabilities and as small oscillatory "wiggles" at higher neutrino energies... (MORE - missing details)
https://bigthink.com/hard-science/will-p...-are-real/
KEY POINTS: Many physicists speculate that a force-carrying particle exists for gravity and have named this theoretical particle the “graviton.” However, evidence for the graviton remains elusive, likely due to the extreme weakness of gravity compared to the other fundamental forces. Other quantum field theories have been validated through confirmatory evidence, but physicists must find such evidence for quantum gravity before confirming the existence of gravitons.... (MORE - details)
Mathematical methods point to possibility of particles long thought impossible
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1069881
EXCERPTS: From the early days of quantum mechanics, scientists have thought that all particles can be categorized into one of two groups — bosons or fermions — based on their behavior.
However, new research by Rice University physicist Kaden Hazzard and former Rice graduate student Zhiyuan Wang shows the possibility for particles that are neither bosons nor fermions. Their study, published in Nature Jan. 8, mathematically demonstrates the potential existence of paraparticles that have long been thought impossible.
[...] Using advanced mathematics, such as Lie algebra, Hopf algebra and representation theory, as well as a pictorial method based on something known as tensor network diagrams to better handle equations, Hazzard and Wang were able to perform abstract algebraic calculations to develop models of condensed matter systems where paraparticles emerge. They showed that, unlike fermions or bosons, paraparticles behave in strange ways when they exchange their positions with the internal states of the particles transmuting during the process.
While they are groundbreaking on their own, these models are the first step toward a better understanding of many new physical phenomena that could occur in paraparticle systems. Further development of this theory could guide experiments that could detect paraparticles in the excitations of condensed matter systems. “To realize paraparticles in experiments, we need more realistic theoretical proposals,” said Wang.
The discovery of new elementary particles and properties in materials could be used in quantum information and computation such as secretly communicating information by manipulating the internal states of particles... (MORE - missing details, no ads)
800-mile-long 'DUNE' experiment could reveal the hidden dimensions of the universe
https://www.livescience.com/physics-math...e-universe
EXCERPTS: For more than a century, scientists have been fascinated by the possibility that hidden, minuscule spatial dimensions could be influencing the physics of our familiar three-dimensional world. Despite decades of experimental searches, however, there has yet to be concrete evidence of these extra dimensions. Now, a recent study proposes a way to advance this search: using the upcoming Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) to probe these hidden dimensions through neutrino behavior.
[...] The study, published in the Journal of High Energy Physics in November, proposes that the enigmatic behavior of neutrinos could be explained if, in addition to the familiar three dimensions of space, there exist extra spatial dimensions on the scale of micrometers (millionths of a meter). While tiny by everyday standards, such dimensions are remarkably large compared with the femtometer (one-quadrillionth of a meter) scales typical of subatomic particles.
"The theory of large extra dimensions, first proposed by Arkani-Hamed, Dimopoulos, and Dvali in 1998, suggests that our familiar three-dimensional space is embedded within a higher-dimensional framework" of four or more dimensions, Masud explained. "The primary motivation for this theory is to address why gravity is vastly weaker than the other fundamental forces in nature. Furthermore, the theory of large extra dimensions offers a potential explanation for the origin of the tiny neutrino masses, a phenomenon that remains unexplained within the Standard Model of particle physics."
If extra dimensions exist, they could subtly alter neutrino oscillation probabilities in ways detectable by DUNE, according to the study authors. These distortions could appear as a slight suppression of expected oscillation probabilities and as small oscillatory "wiggles" at higher neutrino energies... (MORE - missing details)