Antimatter detected on International Space Station challenges our understanding of physics
Eight years ago, the International Space Station (ISS) detected antimatter particles that defy our current knowledge of physics. Researchers propose that cosmic “fireballs” could explain these mysterious particles.
The ISS’s Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) detected around 10 antihelium nuclei, which are antimatter versions of helium nuclei. This discovery challenges the Standard Model of particle physics, as it suggests that antihelium-4 was produced without the predicted requirement of three or four antiprotons and antineutrons being near each other.
To explain this discrepancy, researchers proposed hypothetical fireballs, which could result from unknown phenomena like dark matter collisions. These fireballs could produce large numbers of antiparticles, including antihelium nuclei, which would then travel to Earth where they can be detected.
The team modeled various sizes and behaviors of fireballs and found that larger “composite” objects made of many dark matter particles produced the right amount of antihelium nuclei. While these findings are promising, they require further validation through follow-up studies.
The General AntiParticle Spectrometer (GAPS) project, launching a balloon over Antarctica later this year, could also shed light on this mystery by detecting antimatter cosmic rays, including antihelium nuclei.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/particle-physics/antimatter-detected-on-international-space-station-could-reveal-new-physics