Wobbly subatomic particles 'muons' may drastically change our understanding of Physics

WION Web Team
New Delhi Published: Apr 08, 2021, 06:57 PM(IST)

File photo of Fermilab in the US Photograph:( AFP )

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In plain words, muons have been found defying laws of Physics. This has huge implications

Scientific boundaries and their frontiers have always expanded. From times when it had to fight a life-and-death war with religion to the days when it has been at the forefront of human progress, things have changed drastically. 

But scientific frontiers are never frozen at one place, and discovery has the potential of upending our knowledge of Physics.

This observation has to do with muons. These are particles even smaller than an atom. Muons are like electrons but about 200 times heavier. Muons have a very short lifespan of 2.2 microseconds

Scientists at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in USA have found that muons wobbled more than they should when passed through intense magnetic field.

In plain words, this means that the muons are defying laws of Physics. This may point to there being a fifth fundamental force present. Unknown matter or energy is making the muons wobble in unexpected ways.

There are four fundamental forces in nature as per our current understanding. They are gravity, electromagnetism, weak force and the strong force.

The strange behaviour of muons points to there being a fifth fundamental force. If true, this has the potential of fundamentally changing our understanding of things both, in our surroundings and in the universe.

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