Summary:
- Scientists are studying whether muons, subatomic particles, are influenced by a force similar to the concept of 'The Force' from sci-fi.
- Research conducted by a team at Regis University explores discrepancies in muon behavior, suggesting physics beyond the standard model.
- Muons, heavier cousins of electrons, are observed to behave differently than predicted by the standard model of particle physics.
- Mark Hamill, known for Luke Skywalker's role, took an interest in the research, relating the findings to the 'Force' in Star Wars.
- Regis University students contribute to the research using detectors called fiber harps, highlighting the benefits of small class sizes.
- Ongoing research aims to provide conclusive evidence regarding the influence on muons, potentially unveiling new physics.
Two years ago, a team of scientists really captured the interest of sci-fi fans when they raised an important question. Is the force a real thing? They're still studying why some subatomic particles called muons are not acting the way they think that they should and whether they're being influenced by the force.
Professor from Regis University, as part of this team, is putting the laws of physics into question. So this reconfirms the result that we released a little over two years ago, where we found a discrepancy that provided a strong hint that we were seeing physics beyond the standard model. I'm Fred Gray. I'm a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Regis University. And I enjoy working on research projects that involve subatomic particles called muons.
A muon is a subatomic particle that's kind of like an electron, but about 200 times heavier. I work on an experiment at Fermilab, which is a national laboratory located out in the suburbs of Chicago. And I'm part of a large international team that has done an experiment there, where we have studied a subatomic particle called the muon. And we can compare that to a prediction of the standard model of particle physics. And we find that there's a difference. These plastic triangles up at the top produce light when subatomic particles like muons zip through them. Muons only live for an average of about 2.2 millionths of a second. We are constantly exposed to muons in the form of cosmic rays.
For our previous result, we were really pleased that Luke Skywalker, that is Mark Hamill, took some interest in what we had published. And he related our result to the force in Star Wars. Here at Regis, we worked on these detectors that are called the fiber harps that are part of the experiment at Fermilab. For the students, this is really a benefit of attending an institution like Regis, where our small class sizes do make it possible for them to have these kinds of opportunities. His latest findings are not conclusive. Researchers are hoping that they'll get there in the next few years.