Scientists detect signals from matter 100B times smaller than atom
What's the story
Scientists have detected signals from the smallest scale of nature ever explored, a realm 100 billion times smaller than an atom. The groundbreaking research was conducted by a team from Cambridge University and was derived from an experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (Cern) on the Swiss-French border. The findings could help researchers develop a more complete theory of how the universe works.
Dark matter
Dark matter
Dark matter, a major component of our universe, has been difficult to detect. Although its gravitational force affects normal matter, it remains invisible in all other respects.
The LHC experiment involved colliding particles at high energy and studying the resulting material, collision shrapnel.
One such particle was a beauty quark, an unstable sub-atomic particle that decays into other forms within one and a half trillionths of a second.
Particle interactions
Beauty quark
Despite its short lifetime, researchers detected the beauty quark interacting with other tiny particles at a billion-trillionth of a meter scale.
Some theories suggest that at such scales, particles are more sensitive to dark matter and it could influence their interactions and decay.
This sub-atomic dance provides researchers with a unique view into the behavior of possible new particles in this tiny world.
Data analysis
'Knocking on the door of this zeptoverse'
Dr. Harry Cliff, who led the data analysis at Cambridge University, said they are "knocking on the door of this zeptoverse."
He emphasized that their next step is to explore and find what new particles might be waiting there.
To do this, they need more data. The 28 countries involved in the project have agreed to a £150 million upgrade for the LHCb detector, which would increase decay frequency tenfold.
Funding challenges
Concerns over funding cuts
However, last year, the UK's research funding agency announced it was withdrawing its share of the money for the planned upgrade. It also announced cuts to several other particle physics and astronomy projects.
The decision has raised concerns about the UK's full involvement in this groundbreaking research.
Prof Tim Gershon, who leads the LHCb international collaboration, warned that "the UK is at risk of not being involved and making really major discoveries."