Scientists at CERN, home of the Large Hadron Collider, have just made an exciting discovery that could change how we understand the tiniest building blocks of our universe. They observed a super-rare event at the subatomic level, involving a particle called a kaon, which might help us learn more about the standard model of particle physics.
What’s Happening at CERN?
As part of an experiment known as NA62, researchers looked closely at how kaons decay, or break down, into other particles. This particular form of decay is incredibly rare—so rare that fewer than one in ten billion kaons decay this way! Scientists call this specific decay the “golden channel,” and the standard model of particle physics predicts it should happen, but they wanted to see it in action.
Cristina Lazzeroni, a physicist from the University of Birmingham who worked on this experiment, explained, “If we see something different from what the standard model predicts, it could mean we’re looking at new physics!”
The Kaon Mystery
So, what exactly are kaons? Kaons, or K mesons, are particles made of two smaller particles called quarks. The charged kaons that scientists studied contain an up quark and an anti-strange quark. When these kaons decay in this rare way, they break apart and create three other particles: a pion (a type of charged particle), a neutrino, and an anti-neutrino (a kind of antimatter particle).
To observe this rare event, the researchers used CERN’s Super Proton Synchrotron, a powerful particle accelerator. They blasted a high-energy beam of protons into a stationary target, producing secondary particles, including kaons. With a bit of luck, the scientists caught the kaons in action. Out of every 100 billion charged kaons, they observed this ultra-rare decay about 13 times!
The Significance of the Discovery
This might sound complicated, but here’s the big takeaway: the frequency of this decay was about 50% more than what the standard model predicted. That’s a significant finding that could shake up our current understanding of particle physics.
However, this discovery doesn’t mean the standard model is necessarily wrong. The researchers acknowledge that the findings could still fit within its predictions. What makes this observation special is that it is the most precise detection of this kind ever recorded. Previous observations of the kaon decay have been made, but this is the first time scientists have measured it with what’s called “five sigma” significance. This means there’s only a tiny chance—0.00003% or 0.00006%—that what they observed was just a fluke.
Karim Massri, the physics coordinator for the NA62 experiment, shared, “While we need more data to fully understand the implications of this decay, this result is a huge step forward and shows that there’s still much to explore in this area of research.”
What’s Next?
The quest for understanding the universe continues! Scientists are eager to gather more data from this experiment to see if this discovery holds up and what it might reveal about the nature of reality. This remarkable finding at CERN not only provides a peek into the mysteries of the subatomic world but also ignites curiosity about what other secrets lie waiting to be uncovered.
Stay tuned as the story of kaons and the potential new physics unfolds!
