The balance between matter and antimatter in our Universe is a grandiose enigma that physicists have been struggling to solve for many decades. Now, by carefully studying the tiny electrons, scientists have found a way to dot the i's.
In 1897, physicist J. Thomson discovered a particle known as an electron. Since then, scientists have been struggling to find an answer to a very interesting question: is the shape of an electron really a perfect ball? Based on what we know about these particles today, this is indeed the case. In an interview with Futurism, Mordecai-Mark McLow, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History, put it very delicately. According to him, electrons are round "within the measurement error." Unfortunately, for physicists, this knowledge is not so much an answer as a whole series of even more complex questions.
Sphericity of electrons: heated debate
According to the standard physical model of the universe, after the Big Bang, it should have contained equal amounts of matter and antimatter. The interaction of these two substances inevitably leads to mutual annihilation due to the so-called photon explosion. According to this logic, the universe in its current state simply cannot exist - and yet we see evidence to the contrary.
As a result, scientists are looking for any signs of asymmetry in the ratio of matter and antimatter that could explain why the first substance is many times more than the second. If the electrons were lumpy, only roughly spherical, this could give physicists the clue they need. But, alas, apparently, their shape is perfect. However, the researchers at JILA have demonstrated a new method for studying the shape of electrons that can help detect the distortions desired.
The essence of the new approach, like everything ingenious, is quite simple. If the electron had an electric dipole moment (EDM), this would indicate its non-spherical shape. Earlier, in the search for EDM, scientists studied electrons in "beams" of specific atoms and molecules. Unfortunately, the motion of the beam limits the amount of time that electrons can be measured, and it may be because of this factor that observations have not shown any signs of EDM so far.
The JILA research team took a different approach. Instead of studying electrons in a stream of neutral particles, they isolated the molecular ions of an inorganic compound known as hafnium fluoride using a rotating electric field. Instead of just flying off into space, as in the case of a ray, the ions began to describe small circles. This allowed scientists to track the movement of electrons for 0.7 seconds - 1000 times longer than in all previous experiments!
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Mysterious phenomena
Confirmation or refutation of the round shape of electrons may seem insignificant, but the very fact of studying the characteristics of electrons plays a very important role. At present, the prevailing belief is that regardless of the movement of time, physical laws remain inviolable. But if scientists find a non-zero EDM, it will change the understanding of the fundamental levels of physics and, potentially, help solve the great riddle of the balance of matter and antimatter, which we owe our very existence.
Now, after successfully proving the workability of their method, scientists will begin to improve it. Lead researcher Eric Cornell has already told Science that the researchers believe that in just a few years they will be able to dramatically increase the sensitivity, and hence the accuracy of their measurements.
Other groups are also working on similar projects to measure the sphericity of electrons. For example, a team from Harvard and Yale is confident that next year they will be able to reduce the error of their calculations by 20 times. Physicists at Imperial College believe that already existing methods, if properly worked, will make calculations 1000 times more accurate, which will eliminate a number of controversial theories centered around the potential EDM of electrons. And if their ideal shape is ultimately proven, then physicists will have to look for the answer to one of the most amazing mysteries of the universe somewhere else.
Vasily Makarov
