Rare Particle Find May Cast Doubt on Popular Physics Theory

Rare Particle Find May Cast Doubt on Popular Physics Theory
Nov 12, 2012 | Clara Moskowitz, LiveScience Senior Writer

This diagram illustrates the collision of two protons inside
the Large Hadron Collider, creating a spray of other particles,
including a B_s meson (blue) that decays into two muons (purple).
CREDIT: LHCb

An extremely rare particle measurement from the world's largest atom smasher could cast doubt on a popular theory about the fundamental building blocks of the universe, including dark matter.

Physicists from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland have measured a particular type of particle transformation for the first time, and found that it happens just about as often as predicted by the dominant theory of particle physics, called the Standard Model.

The measurement is just preliminary — the researchers haven't collected enough data to be positive what they're seeing isn't just a random occurrence. Still, the fact that the initial observations correspond so well with the Standard Model predictions isn't a hopeful sign for what scientists call "new physics," such as new particles not predicted by the Standard Model.

One of the most popular theories of new physics is the idea of "supersymmetry" — that all of the known subatomic particles have "superpartner" particles that haven't yet been observed. If these superpartners exist, they could help explain some persistent physics mysteries, such as the nature of dark matter, an invisible substance thought to make up a quarter of the universe. Scientists think dark matter may in fact be composed of supersymmetric particles that haven't yet been detected.

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