Quantum bits acting as particle detectors offer a fast and highly reliable means of solving one of the great mysteries in physics: the nature of dark matter. This new method promises a more efficient way to detect dark matter candidates by improving the experimental signal-to-noise ratio.
From Smithsonian Magazine, April 9, 2021: Results from two particle physics experiments have come tantalizingly close to discovering a gap in the Standard Model.
From Forbes, April 7, 2021: Don Lincoln, senior scientist at Fermilab, explains that a new measurement announced by Fermilab last week goes a long way towards telling us if the venerable theory will need revising.
From New Scientist, April 7, 2021: The strange behavior of a fundamental particle called a muon may hint at the existence of exotic particles and forces beyond the standard model of physics.
From CNN, April 7, 2021: Fermilab’s senior scientist Don Lincoln explains the Muon g-2 experiment’s single measurement tells scientists the standard model of particle physics is incomplete — and has to be rethought.
From National Geographic, April 8, 2021: In a landmark experiment, a collaboration of scientists led by Fermilab has found fresh evidence that a subatomic particle is disobeying one of science’s most watertight theories, the Standard Model of particle physics.
From the Associated Press, April 7, 2021: Fermilab announced results Wednesday of 8.2 billion races along a track that have physicists astir: The muons’ magnetic fields don’t seem to be what the Standard Model says they should be.
From The New York Times, April 7, 2021: A collaboration of scientists led by Fermilab announced mounting evidence that a tiny subatomic particle seems to be disobeying the known laws of physics.
The first results from the Muon g-2 experiment hosted at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory show fundamental particles called muons behaving in a way not predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics. These results confirm an earlier experiment of the same name performed at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Combined, the two results show strong evidence that our best theoretical model of the subatomic world is incomplete. One potential explanation would be the existence of undiscovered particles or forces.
What does it take to envision and build a seemingly impossible particle accelerator? The results of these discussions will shape the next 100 years of particle physics research.