Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

LHC results may solve riddle of how universe can exist
theregister.co.uk ^ | 15th November 2011 15:28 GMT | Lewis Page

Posted on 11/15/2011 9:34:28 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach

Top boffins at the Large Hadron Collider – mightiest particle-punisher and largest machine of any kind ever assembled by humanity – say that they may have uncovered a vital clue explaining one of the greatest mysteries of physics: namely, how is it that matter itself can exist?

This is a mystery because the so-called Standard Model of physics calls for ordinary matter and antimatter to decay in very similar ways. Theory also says that equal amounts of antimatter and regular-type matter (such as that making up the Sun, the Earth, all the life upon it including us etc) should have been brought into existence by Big Bang. And yet here we are in a universe containing stupendo-vastnesses of common-or-garden matter and very little antimatter at all. Which is just as well, as if there were theoretically explicable quantities of the stuff about it would annihilate itself and us in cataclysmically powerful explosions of pure energy.

One of the things the Hadron Collider can do by means of blasting protons into one another head-on at just a gnat's chuff less than light speed is create all sorts of very rare and exotic particles – and the antimatter versions of themselves. Almost anything you might want in the way of crazy particles will appear in the shattered sub-subatomic wreckage spraying out of the proton pileups on the Collider's 27km underground orbital motorway.

The boffins of the LHCb detector instrument typically focus on so-called "beauty" quarks (that's what the little b stands for). Lately, however, they've decided that they like charm more than beauty, and have taken to probing the decay of D mesons made from a charm quark and an "up" antiquark as compared to the decay of their antimatter counterpart – which as any fule would kno is composed of a charm antiquark bound with an "up" quark.

It now appears that in fact the mesons and anti-mesons decayed in a noticeably different fashion from one another based upon results so far. This could still be a coincidence – one equivalent at this stage to flipping a coin and getting heads eight times running. But there's more data to plough through and the LHCb crew hope to demonstrate that in fact their charm-quark mesons are behaving in a fashion that Standard Model physics cannot account for – and which might help to account for the bizarre fact that we and the universe exist at all.

There's more here from the LHCb team (warning: non-physicists are advised to don a reinforced hat of some type to prevent head explosion before attempting to grasp this) or slightly more accesibly here. ®


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: antimatter; cern; lhc; stringtheory; switzerland
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-27 next last

1 posted on 11/15/2011 9:34:32 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: neverdem; decimon; SunkenCiv; Fred Nerks; NormsRevenge; Marine_Uncle; SierraWasp; TigersEye; ...

Food for thought.


2 posted on 11/15/2011 9:37:03 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
This ssems readable:

Charming surprise

**************************************************************************

The CP violation in charm quarks has always been thought to be extremely small. So, looking at particle decays involving matter and antimatter, the LHCb experiment has recently been surprised to observe that things might be different. Theorists are on the case.

The study of the physics of the charm quark was not in the initial plans of the LHCb experiment, whose letter “b” stands for “beauty quark”. However, already one year ago, the Collaboration decided to look into a wider spectrum of processes that involve charm quarks among other things.

The LHCb trigger allows a lot of these processes to be selected, and, among them, one has recently shown interesting features. Other experiments at b-factories have already performed the same measurement but this is the first time that it has been possible to achieve such high precision, thanks to the huge amount of data provided by the very high luminosity of the LHC. “We have observed the decay modes of the D0, a particle made up of a charm quark plus a u antiquark”, explains Pierluigi Campana, LHCb Spokesperson. “In particular, we have studied and combined the decay rates of the D0 and its antiparticle. According to the theory of the Standard Model, we should have measured a very small value of a parameter known as Delta ACP that is calculated using these decay rates and is related to the properties of matter and antimatter. We found that Delta ACP is around 0.8% instead of the predicted 1‰ (or less). Although making precise evaluations in processes involving charm quarks is difficult, the Delta ACP parameter appears to be much higher than expected”.

And while theorists have already started looking into the unexpected result to check possible explanations or find completely new causes, the LHCb scientists are putting all their energy into pushing their analysis even further. “So far we have analysed only about 60% of the data available from the 2011 run”, says Pierluigi Campana. “We plan to complete the analysis but also to perform independent checks using different approaches and strategies”.

The LHCb Collaboration and the theorists held a joint meeting at CERN on 10 and 11 November to discuss the impact of LHCb results on the current theories and how we should now look at the properties of the charm quark. The improved measurement and the independent checks planned by the Collaboration will certainly contribute to clarifying the situation. The new results should be available by early next year.

3 posted on 11/15/2011 9:40:46 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Oh for God’s sake...literally. It is no mystery to me how anything can exist. It is due to Intelligent design and some of us know who provided the intelligence.


4 posted on 11/15/2011 9:41:30 AM PST by ruesrose (It's possible to be clueless without being blonde.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ruesrose

“Oh for God’s sake...literally. It is no mystery to me how anything can exist. It is due to Intelligent design and some of us know who provided the intelligence.”

One can believe in God (as I do) and also believe that He provided us with the ability to understand the methods behind the madness. It’s interesting to note that all the PhDs I know (and yup, I’m one of ‘em also) are religious. Go figure.


5 posted on 11/15/2011 9:46:13 AM PST by Da Coyote (Liberalism - when you absolutely, positively have no ability to produce wealth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
should have been brought into existence by Big Bang

Maybe The Big Bang Never Happened?

ML/NJ

6 posted on 11/15/2011 9:47:03 AM PST by ml/nj
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Life is full of uncertainty.. and they ya go and post this. :-}

Thanks!


7 posted on 11/15/2011 9:49:05 AM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. Obama: Epic Fail or Bust!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ruesrose

Some people are interested in how God did it, and why there is slightly more matter than antimatter among other questions.


8 posted on 11/15/2011 9:50:57 AM PST by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: ruesrose
"It is due to Intelligent design...."

Another "flat-earther" I see. {/sarc}

9 posted on 11/15/2011 9:54:00 AM PST by Psalm 73 ("Gentlemen, you can't fight in here - this is the War Room".)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Da Coyote

I am happy to hear that you believe in God and that he gives (some of) us the ability to understand the how of things. I am certainly not an educated person but one does not need to be to believe in God and our savior, Jesus Christ. I am so happy to have that belief! It would be nice to be able to understand the things you and other educated persons understand but I will when I move on.


10 posted on 11/15/2011 9:58:46 AM PST by ruesrose (It's possible to be clueless without being blonde.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Gnats have chuff? Who knew!


11 posted on 11/15/2011 9:59:28 AM PST by blasater1960 (Deut 30, Psalm 111...the Torah and the Law, is attainable past, present and forever.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

Merely a diversion....back to the Debate channels...LOL!


12 posted on 11/15/2011 10:02:18 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

Look! It's Spam!!!


Click The Spam And Donate

Donate Anyway

13 posted on 11/15/2011 10:02:30 AM PST by DJ MacWoW (America! The wolves are here! What will you do?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Just so this doesn’t happen:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_vacuum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_vacuum#Particle_accelerator

KABLAMMO!!!


14 posted on 11/15/2011 10:07:42 AM PST by GraceG
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

When I was in New York City, I met this guy who flipped a coin and it came up heads eight times in a row. Cost me $100.


15 posted on 11/15/2011 10:10:39 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

I have come up with THE BLUEUNICORN6 BUBBLEGUM THEORY. I say that the universe is held together by bubblegum. Where’s my nobel prize?


16 posted on 11/15/2011 10:12:09 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

****which as any fule would kno is composed of a charm antiquark bound with an “up” quark****

this is won fule hu knos the difrence beetuin upquarks and upfarks.


17 posted on 11/15/2011 10:46:15 AM PST by sodpoodle (Loving America is not a fashion statement.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


18 posted on 11/15/2011 10:51:00 AM PST by RedMDer (Forward With Confidence!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Job opening:

Needed, a science writer that can write accurate descriptions of scientific issues, including issues in physics, and explain them in language the lay person can understand, so that the truly important meaning of a new development in science can be contemplated by any person of average intelligence who reads the ‘easy to understand report’.

Requirements: Proven ability to say in simple terms the essence of the meaning of any scientific jargon; Proven ability to condense long high-intellect descriptions to the bare essentials of what they refer to; Proven ability to understand high-science so well that the writer can substitute terms in common usage by the average person when their use can communicate an accurate equivalent idea to the actual term used in science; Proven ability to summarize well without losing meaning.

Sample science articles required.


19 posted on 11/15/2011 11:29:43 AM PST by Wuli
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
RE: "Food for thought."
That might be beyond me today....my charming marbles are not rolling around in my skull to well right now. heheh.
20 posted on 11/15/2011 12:20:22 PM PST by Marine_Uncle (Honor must be earned.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-27 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson