theory

When theory and experiment disagree, it could mean new physics. With the recent announcement of the most precise measurement of the magnetic moment of the muon, the anomaly is no more.

Final results from the Fermilab Muon g-2 experiment was announced on June 3, showing a tiny particle continues to act strangely — but that’s still good news for the laws of physics as we know them.

The Cern Courier explores the experimental results and theoretical calculations used to predict ‘muon g-2’ – one of particle physics’ most precisely known quantities and the subject of a fast-evolving anomaly.

In the quest to understand the fundamental forces that govern our universe, the Standard Model of particle physics has long stood as the cornerstone. Recent experimental discrepancies like those from Fermilab’s Muon g-2 experiment, have stirred the physics community, suggesting that the muon’s behavior under magnetic fields might not fully align with Standard Model prediction.

The unusually large Muon has threatened the Standard Model for decades, but new data parks the particle inside the confines of established physics. The BMW Collaboration’s recently posted research suggests the difference between the muon’s predicted anomalous magnetic moment and that predicted by the Standard Model is not as large as previous findings suggested.

The researchers identified the origin of discrepancies in recent predictions of the muon’s magnetic moment. Their findings could contribute to the investigation of dark matter and other aspects of the new physics.

Recent research on muons reveals inconsistencies between observed magnetic behaviors and theoretical predictions, hinting the potential discovery of new physical phenomena or the need to update quantum mechanics theories.

The Muon g-2 collaboration recently reported a new measurement of the so-called positive muon magnetic moment anomaly to a precision of 140 parts per billion. The collaboration’s findings are published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Which theory on gravity is the most accurate at describing reality? Don Lincoln suggests perhaps we have reached a moment of scientific Zen and that gravity just is.

From Big Think: A recent series of precise measurements of the Moon confirms that there are two types of mass which are the same. In Einstein’s most advanced theory, there are three “kinds” of mass that are thought to be one and the same but there is no fundamental reason why. Don Lincolns explains why.