Scientists used the most massive fundamental particles to break special relativity, but even that didn’t work.
Einstein proposed his special theory of relativity 120 years ago, and despite numerous attempts to challenge it, the theory still remains intact and valid. It is a simple but powerful concept that dictates how particles travel at velocities close to the speed of light, and how time, space, and energy are related.
Using the Large Hadron Collider , a team of researchers recently tested whether top quarks also follow the special theory of relativity.The top quark is the heaviest known fundamental particle, about 340,000 times heavier than an electron. Scientists believe this particle can reveal principles beyond the Standard Model of particle physics .Here’s what the researchers found:An attempt to break the Lorentz symmetryThe study authors designed an experiment to check whether top quark pairs can break Lorentz symmetry, a hallmark of the special theory of relativity. Lorentz symmetry is a concept suggesting that the laws of physics are invariant under Lorentz transformations. These transformations are a set of mathematical equations that describe how space and time coordinates change when moving from one observer’s reference frame to another.Any violation of Lorentz symmetry is considered a deviation from the Standard Model of Physics. The study author looked for such violations by running an experiment during which they checked if the rate at which top quark pairs are produced in proton collisions changes with the time of day. Why? Because the Earth is constantly rotating on its axis. As the Earth rotates, the direction of the proton beams at the LHC and the direction in which top quarks are produced in collisions also shift. This happens because the LHC’s proton beams are aimed in a fixed direction in space, but as the Earth turns, the direction of those beams relative to an observer on Earth changes.Now, if there were a special direction in space-time that nature preferred , the rate of top quark pair production would vary throughout the day as the Earth’s position changes relative to the experiment. This variation would indicate a breaking of Lorentz symmetry, signaling a need for new physics beyond Einstein’s theory.Did top quarks break special relativity? When the study authors examined the data collected during the second run of the LHC, they found no variation. The rate of top quark pair production stayed constant, no matter the time of day. This means that no preferred direction was found in space-time, and Lorentz symmetry remained intact. “The new CMS result agrees with a constant rate, meaning that Lorentz symmetry is not broken and Einstein’s special relativity remains valid,” the study authors note. The researchers also used their findings to determine how much certain values could differ from zero if Lorentz symmetry is preserved. According to their results, these values could be much smaller than previously thought. In fact, the new limits are up to 100 times more precise than the limits set during previous experiments.These findings will help scientists improve the accuracy of future experiments focusing on Lorentz symmetry breaking.The study is published in the journal Physics Letters B.
Physics Quarks Special Relativity
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