Taus

New technique uses near-miss particle physics to peer into quantum world − two physicists explain how they are measuring wobbling tau particles

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, October 18, 2023

We are two scientists who study nuclear and particle physics using CERN’s Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland.

Key Points: 
  • We are two scientists who study nuclear and particle physics using CERN’s Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Working with an international group of nuclear and particle physicists, our team realized that hidden in the data from previous studies was a remarkable and innovative experiment.
  • In a new paper published in Physical Review Letters, we developed a new method with our colleagues for measuring how fast a particle called the tau wobbles.

Why measure a wobble?

    • Taus are the heaviest in this family of three and the most mysterious, as they exist only for minuscule amounts of time.
    • Since the 1940s, physicists have been interested in measuring magnetic moments to reveal intriguing effects in the quantum world.
    • By measuring this wobble very precisely, physicists can peer into this cloud to uncover possible hints of undiscovered particles.

Testing electrons, muons and taus

    • Muons and taus are much heavier but also far shorter-lived than electrons.
    • They found that muons wobbled noticeably faster than Standard Model predictions, suggesting unknown particles may be appearing in the muon’s quantum cloud.
    • But taus are also the hardest to see, since they live for just a millionth of the time a muon exists.

Lead ions for near-miss physics

    • The particles used in this experiment were lead nuclei that had been stripped of their electrons – called lead ions.
    • The electromagnetic fields of lead ions contain particles of light called photons.
    • When two lead ions collide, their photons can also collide and convert all their energy into a single pair of particles.
    • It goes like this: Lead ions are so small that they often miss each other in collision experiments.

First measurement of tau wobble in two decades

    • Using that data, the team was also able to measure the tau magnetic moment – the first time such a measurement had been done since 2004.
    • This landmark result measured the tau wobble to two decimal places.
    • Much to our astonishment, this method tied the previous best measurement using only one month of data recorded in 2018.
    • This increase in data will double the accuracy of the measurement of the tau magnetic moment, and improvements to analysis methods may go even further.

With a Successful Early Stage, Atlantis Gears Up for IDO

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Through Seed and Private Funding, the Atlantis team is getting the project out there, hoping to expand the scope of our project.

Key Points: 
  • Through Seed and Private Funding, the Atlantis team is getting the project out there, hoping to expand the scope of our project.
  • The Atlantis Universe is a universe inspired by the legendary Atlantis civilization.
  • Start your journey to explore, find resources, build squads, raid Bosses, breed demigods, produce weapons, items, equipment, and participate in tournaments in the Atlantis Universe.
  • There are many types of NFT that players can earn in Atlantis, but the most major type is the character.