IU scientists first to detect rare nuclear fusion

[Guest Fadi]

Now that we have a science forum

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

Date Released: Saturday, April 05, 2003

Indiana University

 

IU scientists first to detect rare nuclear fusion violating charge symmetry

 

 

This symmetry violation makes hydrogen possible, a requirement for life

 

http://images.spaceref.com/news/2003/04.05.03.galaxy.jpg

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Scientists at the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility in Bloomington have made the first unambiguous detection of a rare process, the fusion of two nuclei of heavy hydrogen to form a nucleus of helium and an uncharged pion. The pion is one of the subatomic particles responsible for the strong force that holds every nucleus together. The achievement will be announced Saturday (April 5) at the meeting of the American Physical Society in Philadelphia.

 

"Scientists have searched for this rare fusion process since the 1950s," said IU physicist Edward Stephenson, the leader of the research team. "The process would not happen at all if nature did not allow a small violation of what is known as charge symmetry. If this symmetry violation had happened to be in the other direction, hydrogen would not have survived after the Big Bang, and the universe would not have the hydrogen fuel that keeps stars shining, including our sun, making human life possible. Sometimes large consequences hang on delicate balances in nature."

 

One effect of this charge symmetry violation is that the neutron is slightly heavier than its charged partner, the proton. As a result, isolated neutrons decay into protons in about 10 minutes. "If the charge symmetry violation had been in the other direction instead, and if the proton had been heavier than the neutron by the same slight amount, protons would have decayed into neutrons and hydrogen could not have survived," Stephenson explained.

 

The rate at which the rare fusion process occurs is expected to be a key piece of information in finding the cause for this violation of charge symmetry, he said. Theorists have proposed that the violation originates with quarks, the small particles that are found inside protons and neutrons.

 

"The rate of the process will tell scientists how much of the violation comes from the fact that quarks carry small electrical charges, and how much comes from the difference in mass between the two types of quarks found inside neutrons and protons," Stephenson said.

 

The IU team used the electron-cooled storage ring at the cyclotron laboratory to focus a beam of heavy hydrogen onto a target of the same material. The high precision of the beam allowed them to use just enough energy to make the uncharged pion without producing unwanted heavier particles. Sensitive detectors tracked the helium nuclei and captured the two photons or particles of light that are produced when the pion decays.

 

The team worked around the clock for two months, seeing at most only five of the rare events per day, Stephenson said. However, the several dozen events that they collected will be enough to allow scientists to test their theories about the violation of charge symmtery.

 

Their research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

 

For more information, contact Stephenson at 812-855-5469 or stephens@iucf.indiana.edu [mailto:stephens@iucf.indiana.edu].

 

Related Links:

 

* IU Cyclotron Facility [http://www.iucf.indiana.edu/]

 

 

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=11174

Edited April 7, 2003 by Fadi

[Sasun]

Domino, very interesting. Perhaps this violation of symmetry is also responsible why the universe is assymetrical, that is flat, instead of spherical? But probably not, there might be a more general "law" of violation of symmetry of which the charge symmetry violation is a particular case.

[Guest Fadi]

Domino, very interesting. Perhaps this violation of symmetry is also responsible why the universe is assymetrical, that is flat, instead of spherical? But probably not, there might be a more general "law" of violation of symmetry of which the charge symmetry violation is a particular case.

Nope, it is different, one is about microworld, the other macroworld. As for flat vs spherical, well I have my idea on that, something that is philosophical in nature.

[Sasun]

Domino, I said "probably not, there might be a more general "law" of violation of symmetry of which the charge symmetry violation is a particular case".

 

You maybe aware that one of the major goals in modern theoretical physics is to establish a unified theory that explains all the laws in physics - that includes microworld and macroworld as well. So far they have failed, but there is a great degree of similarity in laws. What I said above is a mere hypothesis that would fit into this idea and may very well be true.

 

But what is your opinion about the flatness of universe?

[Guest Fadi]

Domino, I said "probably not, there might be a more general "law" of violation of symmetry of which the charge symmetry violation is a particular case".

 

You maybe aware that one of the major goals in modern theoretical physics is to establish a unified theory that explains all the laws in physics - that includes microworld and macroworld as well. So far they have failed, but there is a great degree of similarity in laws. What I said above is a mere hypothesis that would fit into this idea and may very well be true.

 

But what is your opinion about the flatness of universe?

Dear Sasun, one of the major role is in fact a unified theory, but ont for every laws of physic, that was put in the garbages when Quantum mecanic hypotheses was proposed, accepted and later used. The unified laws that is still researched is about the unification of the 4 fundamental interaction forces in physic, this has been the dream of any physicist, Eintein himself has searched for it for the rest of his life...

 

The four forces are. The Strong force, electromagnetic forces(those two(electric and magnetic), have been unified to form one), Weak forces, and the last that is the weakest, Gravity forces. If you want I could explain you more exactlly which exactlly are those forces.

 

Now, about the symmetry antisymmetry in the microworld, it does not reall have to do with the form itself, but the "thing"itself, contrary to the symetry theories concerning the universe. Here about the hydrogen, it is the fact that neutrons and protons don't have the same mass, and that the quark being responsable of that, that makes thing antisymmetrical. If one has a greater masses then the other, and that the two are constituted of the same subatomic particules(Up quark, and down quark), then it is expected that in nature the most simple atom, that is Hydrogen, could end up not having the chance to exist at all. Here is where prions interven. Well I am changing the discussion we had, but respecting the premis of the thread. But, what I mean is that microworld is different then the macroworld, of course we are all hoping that an unficiation laws could unify things, but not in this, because Quantum mecanic is just telling us a big. NOPE !

 

I will discuss the matter if you like, but you have to give me the subject you want to discuss about, or we will end up in a chaotic thread. Where orders will be neuralised by disorders.

[Sasun]

Domino jan, you said "As for flat vs spherical, well I have my idea on that, something that is philosophical in nature. ". My question was about that

 

 

Although my knowledge in physics is quite rusty I still remember very well that quantum physics applies to the microworld. But that doesn't mean there cannot be unification. Because you may use a very general law, and specialize in micro and macro worlds differently, and deduce the very different laws of microworld and macroworld from the same general law. The problem is in finding it, like you seem to agree. I remember from my courses of quantum electrodynamics, physics of week forces and similar courses that there are certain equations that explain a range of different effects and laws, however very difficult to understand by an ordinary human logic. A great degree of abstract thinking is necessary, that is why it is difficult. We simply do not observe quantum effects in life therefore can't comprehend although we can prove some things. The universal law maybe very easily available to prove, but the problem maybe the human mind which is more inclined to customize the world according to its experience and understanding, rather than customize itself to the laws.

OK, here is a philosophy topic for you

 

Edit: removed a personal question.

Edited April 8, 2003 by Sasun

[Guest Fadi]

I am angry at this board, I lost my post, and was forced to retype it, so I lost most of it, and just will be retyping a conclusion, of what I wrote first.

 

 

I do agree that there is this belief among some physicists, that dream of a kind of unification of the micro and macroworld, something like a fractal universe, where a kind of pattern is repeated.

 

I do believe there is one universal law, but I do not believe us humans could find and interpret it. You remember when I was talking about the summation when talking about philosophy ? I believe it is the same for physic. We are all humans, and have our senses, and we perceive things as human, we understand and see few parameters, while all the parameters constitute the universe. I do firmly believe the big bang, and I do believe that before it, this big amount of energy contained one universal law, this energy state, and the universal law were the same, a kind of unification of everything. This energy had a kind of frequency, brought by a pulsation, how I see it, is like when you take iron powders on a plaque, and then apply an electromagnetic field, you have a pattern. This is how I see the universe, a kind of amount of energy, a kind of pulsatif energy, and then after the explosion, every thing is governed by this pattern, this prime pulsatif energy. While the universe get older and older, there is a kind of deviation of this pattern, desunification, and for the better of the order of life. I do not believe the eternal expansion of the universe, of course new discoveries that demonstrate that the universe will expend for ever are abound, but they are based on the observation of spectres, while this could prove there has been some sort of big bang, something that generated a movement, nothing proves that the speed of light is constant, neither proves that the times referential variation from system to system is absolute. What I mean, is that imagine that light speed decrease and goes to 298,000 Km/s, all our system would be adapted to that, since light speed is the asymptotic speed, the limit speed. And since space is directly linked, speed of light variation would be the result of space variation, and the space variation the result of the time variation, it’s like what came first the egg of the chicken.

 

So, now imagine the hypothesis that in fact the speed of light is changing, and that this kind of referential is in another referential that itself is relative, a kind of bubble dimension that is neither space, nor time. We will end up believing that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, because of the spectral studies. Because we just see this light coming from millions of light years, where its emission would be dependent of this bubble dimension, that cover the others. Of course, if there was other dimension we will know it because of the results of it, but what if, this dimension is neither a one of space, neither a one of time, a kind of dimension that will close that gap between the fundamental contradiction between Quantum mechanics and Relativity. What if the theory of the quantum’s, and this vision of statistical world, was nothing more then the influences of the ignored dimension?

 

Here, you will understand what I am trying to say. Electron orbitals, in those orbital there is electrons, where there position is only a matter of statistics, you just give the % of chance that there is electrons there, while, there is an area between those orbitals, where the possibility of any electrons presence is of 0 % an absolute 0 % Now imagine you increase the energy of the atom, those electrons will change levels, because of the changes of their level of energy, they will jump from one orbital to the other, while they do that, you detect no any electrons between the orbitals. How come ? Because you know those electrons passes from one orbital to the other, so logically there should be electrons detected in that region, like if some disappear from an area, and reappear on the other. Those orbitals are kind of laws that those electrons should respect, and they even respect them when you force them to not respect them, contradicting common sense.

 

What if, in fact those electrons enter in a kind of gate, disappear from those space and time dimension, and then reappear in the other orbital ? Its kind of a space and time dimension that has hole on them, microholes, where only those little particles could pass threw, when you force them to do it, and that the interaction forces, force them to just return in the other dimensions. This same dimension is variable, relative, and the relativity of space and time would only be a consequence of the relativity of this dimension, that its influences are felt only in our world as term of contradiction between Relativity and Quantum mechanic. So, if the speed of light could be relative, space will be as well, since space is relative, so will time, and this variation in fact that would lead us to believe that there is an acceleration of the expansion will be only the "taking effect" between space and time, of this relativism. So while we believe that from the spectral studies that the universe is expending more and more, it could very well be possible that the speed of light is just decreasing, because of the “relativism” of the relativism. I know, I have very bad English, and I am atrocious to explain what I think of... so I won't be surprised if you were not able to follow me. So I just made a fool of myself again.