WEBVTT - How Do Muons Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff Lauren Vogel bomb here. The muon is

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<v Speaker 1>a particle about two hundred times the mass of an electron,

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<v Speaker 1>that exists for only about two millionths of a second,

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<v Speaker 1>that continually strikes every inch of Earth's surface, and that

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<v Speaker 1>seems to behave in a way that pokes a whole

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<v Speaker 1>and long accepted laws of physics. Muan's, first discovered in

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<v Speaker 1>the late nineteen thirties, are formed in nature when cosmic

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<v Speaker 1>rays strike particles in our planet's atmosphere. Muans are passing

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<v Speaker 1>through you and everything around you at a speed close

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<v Speaker 1>to that of light, and in April one, the particle

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<v Speaker 1>made news headlines after researchers at the U S government's

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<v Speaker 1>Fermie National Accelerator Laboratory, more commonly known as Fermie Lab

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<v Speaker 1>at least the initial results of a three year long

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<v Speaker 1>muan G two experiment. The Fermi Lab study confirmed previous

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<v Speaker 1>findings that the muan behaves in a way that's contrary

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<v Speaker 1>to the standard model of particle physics, which is the

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<v Speaker 1>theoretical framework that aims to describe how reality works at

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<v Speaker 1>the tiniest level. It's also referred to as the present theory, muans,

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<v Speaker 1>which exist in a sea of other tiny particles and

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<v Speaker 1>anti particles that affect them, actually are slightly more magnetic

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<v Speaker 1>than the standard model would predict. That in turn points

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<v Speaker 1>to the possible existence of other still unknown particles or forces.

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<v Speaker 1>As one of the researchers, physicist Jason Bano explained in

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<v Speaker 1>a news release from his alma matter, Florida International University,

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<v Speaker 1>the team knew that if they confirmed the discrepancy in

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<v Speaker 1>Muan's magnetism quote, we wouldn't know exactly what's causing it,

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<v Speaker 1>but we wouldn't know it's something that we don't understand yet.

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<v Speaker 1>The initial results, along with other recent particle research, could

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<v Speaker 1>help build the case for a new system of physics

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<v Speaker 1>that would replace the standard model. For the article, this

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<v Speaker 1>episode is based on How Stuff Works. Spoke by email

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<v Speaker 1>with Mark b Wise, a professor of high energy physics

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<v Speaker 1>at the California Institute of Technology and a member of

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<v Speaker 1>the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, and if that doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>sufficiently impress you, He also served as a technical consultant

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<v Speaker 1>on particle accelerators for the twenty film iron Man. Too

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<v Speaker 1>Wise explained, muons are like electrons except two hundred times

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<v Speaker 1>heavier according to Einstein's formula E equals mc squared, and

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<v Speaker 1>this means that muan's at rest have greater energy than electrons.

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<v Speaker 1>This allows them to decay to lighter particles while still

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<v Speaker 1>conserving energy overall. Another key difference is that electrons are

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<v Speaker 1>believed to be pretty close to a mortal, but muans

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<v Speaker 1>only exist for two point two millionths of a second

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<v Speaker 1>before they decay into an electron and two kinds of neutrinos.

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<v Speaker 1>The muons that are constantly being created when cosmic rays

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<v Speaker 1>strike particles in Earth's atmosphere travel astonishing distances in their

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<v Speaker 1>brief existence, moving it close to the speed of light.

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<v Speaker 1>They strike Earth's surface and pass through almost everything in

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<v Speaker 1>their immediate path, potentially penetrating a mile or more into

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<v Speaker 1>the Earth. Some have described muans as the key to

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<v Speaker 1>understanding all sub atomic particles, though Wise doesn't go quite

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<v Speaker 1>that far. He said in the Search for physics beyond

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<v Speaker 1>our present understanding, you should study all particles. The muan

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<v Speaker 1>has some advantages, though, For example, it's anomalous magnetic moment

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<v Speaker 1>is very precisely predicted, which makes it more sensitive to

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<v Speaker 1>new physics beyond our present theory that would alter this prediction.

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<v Speaker 1>At the same time, it can be measured very precisely.

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<v Speaker 1>Studying muons isn't a simple matter, though. Fairmulab is using

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<v Speaker 1>a seven hundred ton device containing three rings each fifty

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<v Speaker 1>feet or fifteen meters in diameter. There was shipped by

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<v Speaker 1>barge and truck to Illinois from its original home at

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<v Speaker 1>Brookhaven nash In the Laboratory in New York a few

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<v Speaker 1>years back. The device is capable of generating a magnetic

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<v Speaker 1>field of one point four or five tesla, which is

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<v Speaker 1>approximately thirty thousand times out of Earth's magnetic field. A

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<v Speaker 1>Wise said, it's fascinating that to study something so tiny

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<v Speaker 1>and short lived they need these huge pieces of equipment.

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<v Speaker 1>When they're produced at high energy, they travel almost at

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<v Speaker 1>the speed of light. It can travel a fair distance

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<v Speaker 1>before they decay, so you might look for the evidence

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<v Speaker 1>they leave in a detector. For example. Since muans are

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<v Speaker 1>charged particles, they can ionize the matter they pass through,

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<v Speaker 1>and the electrons that are produced by this ionization can

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<v Speaker 1>be detected. According to Wise, the Family Lab team's recent

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<v Speaker 1>discovery that the particle is slightly more magnetic than physicists

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<v Speaker 1>expected is significant, oh I said, it disagrees with the

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<v Speaker 1>present theories prediction for the muan magnetic moment. So there

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<v Speaker 1>is some new physics beyond that in our present theory

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<v Speaker 1>that is present and change the prediction for this quantity.

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<v Speaker 1>Like many important discoveries, the Fermi Labs finding raises more

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<v Speaker 1>new questions and there's much that scientists still want to

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<v Speaker 1>know about the muan why said, what is the new

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<v Speaker 1>physics is the question it raises. There are also some

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<v Speaker 1>other anomalies that are not explained in the standard model

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<v Speaker 1>that involved muans. Are they all connected in some way? Wise?

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<v Speaker 1>Also sounds a note of caution about the FAMI Lab findings.

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<v Speaker 1>A quote. It may be there's some systematic effect in

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<v Speaker 1>the experiment that is not understood and is impacting the

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<v Speaker 1>interpretation of the measurement. Similarly for the theory, so this

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<v Speaker 1>anomaly could ultimately disappear. It is very important to check

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<v Speaker 1>such things as much as possible. Today's episode is based

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<v Speaker 1>on the article muans these subtomic particles shaking up the

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<v Speaker 1>world of physics on how Stuff works dot com, written

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<v Speaker 1>by Patrick J. Tiger. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot com and

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<v Speaker 1>is produced by Tyler. Playing or more podcasts from My

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