Now, researchers at the Technical University of Vienna (TU Wien) have succeeded in inducing strong light-on-light scattering in a groundbreaking experiment. Using the new method, they showed that tensor mesons, which were previously underappreciated, are a main player in this process. Jonas Mager of the Institute of Theoretical Physics is leading the study. It fixes a mismatch that surfaced last year between complicated mathematical predictions and supercomputer simulations. This kind of research is essential for probing the limits of the Standard Model of particle physics. The Standard Model theoretical physics, particularly particle physics, is often thought of as a different world.
The research team first published their results in Physical Review Letters. They investigate how tensor mesons can contribute to the magnetic moment of such elementary particles as muons, which are important for the testing of the Standard Model with an extraordinary accuracy. This groundbreaking study has the potential to reveal some powerful lessons. It will help to determine if deviations between theory and experiment point to “new physics” beyond what we know today.
Importance of Tensor Mesons
Physics researchers found that some tensor mesons, a rare form of meson, show unusual behaviors. Together, these properties of a material have a big impact on the ways that light can scatter. Mager noted that in order to compute the interactions of real particles, they needed to take into consideration these virtual particles.
“Even though these virtual particles cannot be observed directly, they have a measurable effect on other particles,” – Jonas Mager.
Mager explained further, “If you want to calculate precisely how real particles behave, you have to take all conceivable virtual particles into account correctly. That’s what makes this task so difficult but so interesting.”
The study highlights how tensor mesons can be mapped onto five-dimensional gravitons, aligning with predictions made by Einstein’s theory of gravity. Anton Rebhan, another key contributor from TU Wien, noted, “The tensor mesons can be mapped onto five-dimensional gravitons, for which Einstein’s theory of gravity makes clear predictions.”
Resolving Discrepancies in Physics
Over a year ago, specialists in nonlinear QED were shocked to discover a discrepancy between their elegant analytical calculations and computer simulations modelling light-on-light scattering. Mager and his team have been doing battle with these discrepancies, as recently as this spring. They first reviewed their experimental results against both computational and analytical results.
Rebhan expressed optimism about the research’s potential impact on future experimental work. “We now have computer simulations and analytical results that fit well together but deviate from certain previous assumptions. We hope that this will provide new impetus to accelerate already planned specific experiments on tensor mesons.”
This resolution is important for physicists who for decades have been working to resolve discrepancies between theory and experiment. In particular, the research emphasizes the importance of including tensor mesons in models of particle interactions. This new addition will significantly enhance theoretical predictions, as well as improve experimental designs.
Implications for the Standard Model
Repercussions of this discovery are far-reaching as they challenge the very foundation of the Standard Model of particle physics. The beauty of this model is that it helps us understand the underlying order of the fundamental forces and particles of our universe. In particular, experimentalists should do what they can to clarify the role of tensor mesons to light-on-light scattering. That knowledge will enable them to judge whether observed deviations are signaling something outside of the Standard Model.
The impact of light-light scattering on muons creates exciting new opportunities to test this fundamental framework. Muons are one of the few particles that experimental physicists can’t get enough of, thanks to their extreme sensitivity to many forces and interactions. How they behave in these extreme conditions is helping us learn more about how valid the Standard Model really is.
