2023-07-18 04:00:07
In the first seconds of our Universe, countless protons, neutrons and electrons emerged alongside their antimatter counterparts. As the Universe expanded and cooled, these particles annihilated each other, leaving only photons behind.
JILA scientists, led by Steven Burrows, are investigating how the magnetic field influences the distribution of negative electric charge (Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter that obeys the principle of…) in the electron (The electron is an elementary particle of the lepton family, and possessing a charge…). An inequality could reveal an asymmetry (Asymmetry is the absence of symmetry, or its inverse. In nature, crabs…) in the early Universe.
Credits: JILA/Steven Burrows
If the Universe were perfectly symmetrical, with as much matter as antimatter (antimatter is all the antiparticles of the particles that make up matter…), we wouldn’t exist. However, a handful of protons, neutrons and electrons survived, forming atoms, molecules, stars, planets, galaxies (Galaxies is a quarterly French magazine devoted to science fiction. With…) and finally, us.
Researcher Eric Cornell (Eric Allin Cornell (December 19, 1961) is an American physicist who, along with Carl Wieman,…) of the institute (An institute is a permanent organization created for a certain purpose. It is… ) JILA wonders: why did this asymmetry exist? The mathematical theories (Mathematics is a field of abstract knowledge constructed using…) that govern our universe provide for symmetry (Generally the term symmetry refers to existence, in a…). Without concrete evidence, these theories remain mere mathematical speculations. This is why the Cornell team seeks to observe signs of asymmetry at the level of fundamental particles such as electrons.
Vacuum chamber used for the experiment, showing the ion trap electrodes.
Credits: Casey A. Cass/University of Colorado
Recently, the team set an accuracy record in the measurement of the electron’s electric dipole moment (eEDM). If an electron were the size of the Earth, any measured asymmetry would be less than the radius of an atom.
To achieve this precision, the team studied hafnium fluoride molecules subjected to an intense electric field. The electrons, if they were not perfectly round, would align themselves with this field, modifying their position in the molecule (A molecule is an electrically neutral chemical assembly of at least two atoms, which…). The team then used an ultraviolet laser (Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a length…) to determine the energy levels to do work, to manufacture…) of two groups of molecules. A difference between these energy levels would indicate an asymmetry.
The measurements indicate, in this range of precision, that the electrons are round. This remarkable precision is an achievement, proving that expensive particle accelerators are not the only tools to explore these fundamental questions. The quest for asymmetry continues. Tanya Roussy, a doctoral student in Cornell’s research group, recalls that the truth will be discovered through the joint efforts of scientists around the world.
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