1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff Lauren Vogel bomb here. The muon is 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,080 Speaker 1: a particle about two hundred times the mass of an electron, 4 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: that exists for only about two millionths of a second, 5 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: that continually strikes every inch of Earth's surface, and that 6 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: seems to behave in a way that pokes a whole 7 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: and long accepted laws of physics. Muan's, first discovered in 8 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 1: the late nineteen thirties, are formed in nature when cosmic 9 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: rays strike particles in our planet's atmosphere. Muans are passing 10 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: through you and everything around you at a speed close 11 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: to that of light, and in April one, the particle 12 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,239 Speaker 1: made news headlines after researchers at the U S government's 13 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:51,200 Speaker 1: Fermie National Accelerator Laboratory, more commonly known as Fermie Lab 14 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: at least the initial results of a three year long 15 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: muan G two experiment. The Fermi Lab study confirmed previous 16 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: findings that the muan behaves in a way that's contrary 17 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: to the standard model of particle physics, which is the 18 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: theoretical framework that aims to describe how reality works at 19 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: the tiniest level. It's also referred to as the present theory, muans, 20 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: which exist in a sea of other tiny particles and 21 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: anti particles that affect them, actually are slightly more magnetic 22 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:27,279 Speaker 1: than the standard model would predict. That in turn points 23 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: to the possible existence of other still unknown particles or forces. 24 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,959 Speaker 1: As one of the researchers, physicist Jason Bano explained in 25 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: a news release from his alma matter, Florida International University, 26 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:42,680 Speaker 1: the team knew that if they confirmed the discrepancy in 27 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: Muan's magnetism quote, we wouldn't know exactly what's causing it, 28 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 1: but we wouldn't know it's something that we don't understand yet. 29 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: The initial results, along with other recent particle research, could 30 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: help build the case for a new system of physics 31 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: that would replace the standard model. For the article, this 32 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: episode is based on How Stuff Works. Spoke by email 33 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: with Mark b Wise, a professor of high energy physics 34 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: at the California Institute of Technology and a member of 35 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, and if that doesn't 36 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 1: sufficiently impress you, He also served as a technical consultant 37 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: on particle accelerators for the twenty film iron Man. Too 38 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: Wise explained, muons are like electrons except two hundred times 39 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:31,359 Speaker 1: heavier according to Einstein's formula E equals mc squared, and 40 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: this means that muan's at rest have greater energy than electrons. 41 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: This allows them to decay to lighter particles while still 42 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: conserving energy overall. Another key difference is that electrons are 43 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:46,639 Speaker 1: believed to be pretty close to a mortal, but muans 44 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: only exist for two point two millionths of a second 45 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,520 Speaker 1: before they decay into an electron and two kinds of neutrinos. 46 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 1: The muons that are constantly being created when cosmic rays 47 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: strike particles in Earth's atmosphere travel astonishing distances in their 48 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:04,959 Speaker 1: brief existence, moving it close to the speed of light. 49 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,679 Speaker 1: They strike Earth's surface and pass through almost everything in 50 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: their immediate path, potentially penetrating a mile or more into 51 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 1: the Earth. Some have described muans as the key to 52 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: understanding all sub atomic particles, though Wise doesn't go quite 53 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,799 Speaker 1: that far. He said in the Search for physics beyond 54 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: our present understanding, you should study all particles. The muan 55 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: has some advantages, though, For example, it's anomalous magnetic moment 56 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: is very precisely predicted, which makes it more sensitive to 57 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: new physics beyond our present theory that would alter this prediction. 58 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: At the same time, it can be measured very precisely. 59 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: Studying muons isn't a simple matter, though. Fairmulab is using 60 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: a seven hundred ton device containing three rings each fifty 61 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: feet or fifteen meters in diameter. There was shipped by 62 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: barge and truck to Illinois from its original home at 63 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: Brookhaven nash In the Laboratory in New York a few 64 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: years back. The device is capable of generating a magnetic 65 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: field of one point four or five tesla, which is 66 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: approximately thirty thousand times out of Earth's magnetic field. A 67 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: Wise said, it's fascinating that to study something so tiny 68 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: and short lived they need these huge pieces of equipment. 69 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:23,279 Speaker 1: When they're produced at high energy, they travel almost at 70 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: the speed of light. It can travel a fair distance 71 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,159 Speaker 1: before they decay, so you might look for the evidence 72 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: they leave in a detector. For example. Since muans are 73 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 1: charged particles, they can ionize the matter they pass through, 74 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 1: and the electrons that are produced by this ionization can 75 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:43,599 Speaker 1: be detected. According to Wise, the Family Lab team's recent 76 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: discovery that the particle is slightly more magnetic than physicists 77 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:51,599 Speaker 1: expected is significant, oh I said, it disagrees with the 78 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: present theories prediction for the muan magnetic moment. So there 79 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:58,119 Speaker 1: is some new physics beyond that in our present theory 80 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 1: that is present and change the prediction for this quantity. 81 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: Like many important discoveries, the Fermi Labs finding raises more 82 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:11,240 Speaker 1: new questions and there's much that scientists still want to 83 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: know about the muan why said, what is the new 84 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 1: physics is the question it raises. There are also some 85 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: other anomalies that are not explained in the standard model 86 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: that involved muans. Are they all connected in some way? Wise? 87 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,040 Speaker 1: Also sounds a note of caution about the FAMI Lab findings. 88 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,839 Speaker 1: A quote. It may be there's some systematic effect in 89 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: the experiment that is not understood and is impacting the 90 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: interpretation of the measurement. Similarly for the theory, so this 91 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: anomaly could ultimately disappear. It is very important to check 92 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: such things as much as possible. Today's episode is based 93 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: on the article muans these subtomic particles shaking up the 94 00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: world of physics on how Stuff works dot com, written 95 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: by Patrick J. Tiger. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart 96 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 1: Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot com and 97 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: is produced by Tyler. Playing or more podcasts from My 98 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,680 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 99 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.