A long-running US-based experiment has confirmed that a tiny particle, called a muon, continues to act strangely. This finding, however, does not contradict the fundamental laws of physics as scientists have managed to reconcile it with current understanding.
In 2021 and 2023, initial experiments suggested that muons’ behavior deviated from predicted values. To clarify this anomaly, researchers conducted an international collaboration with higher precision measurements at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Chicago.
Their latest results, published in Physical Review Letters, show that the muon’s wobble agrees with earlier findings using more than double the data compared to 2023. This confirms that muons still behave erratically but does not undermine the Standard Model of physics.
Future experiments, including one at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex expected to start in the late decade, will focus on refining the measurement and exploring other mysterious entities like dark matter.
According to researchers, confirming muon behavior is crucial for understanding fundamental questions about the universe. “Aren’t we all curious to understand how the universe works?” said Peter Winter with Argonne National Laboratory.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/muon-fermilab-standard-model-physics-cb123cd20bfd8141dbf75de62804b32b