Scientists working on CERN’s Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment published Latest data in the search for long-lived exotic particles known as dark photons.
Dark photons (also called hidden photons) differ from ordinary photons (particles of light) in that they are thought to have mass, making them a prime candidate for explaining dark matter. Dark matter is an umbrella term for the seemingly invisible matter that exists in the universe and is only observed through that matter. Effect of gravityHowever, it has never been directly detected and no one knows what it actually is.
CMS physicists are trying to change that. Like the particles produced in other experiments at CERN, the hypothetical dark photons are thought to be produced by the decay of another particle, the Higgs boson, which was proposed in the 1960s. famously observed The Higgs boson is thought to decay into a dark photon, which then decays into a displaced muon. The CMS Collaboration is working to limit the parameters within which that process occurs.
CERN’s Large Hadron Collider will begin its third operation in July 2022, with improved particle collision capabilities compared to its previous operation. This means that the CMS experiment’s algorithms (or “triggers”) that detect interesting collisions will sift through more events, increasing the chances of finding displaced muons caused by dark photons.
“We’ve really improved our ability to trigger migrated muons,” said Juliet Alimena of the CMS experiment. statement. “This allows us to collect far more events than before with muons that are only a few hundred micrometers to a few meters away from the point of impact. Thanks to these improvements, we can now collect far more events than before with muons that are only a few hundred micrometers to a few meters away from the point of impact. CMS is now much more likely to find it.”
By particle standards, dark photons are considered long-lived: they only exist for a billionth of a second. Despite their long lifespan, no one has yet discovered them because they are difficult to detect. In fact, the search for dark photons has been going on for years. “Searching for dark photons is both easy and difficult,” says physicist James Beecham. told Gizmodo in 2018.. “It’s easy because the concept is general and simple, so it’s very easy to design an experimental search, but it’s difficult because we don’t really have a clue.” where In parameter space, dark photons may exist. ”
Some scientists Searching for dark matter using a small mirrorwhile others are trying to Tune into that frequency with “Dark Matter Radio.” At CMS, physicists are trying to discover how particles decay into pairs of muons.
To enhance CMS, the Large Hadron Collider will soon be upgraded. Future High Luminosity – LHC This will increase the brightness of the facility by a factor of 10 and increase the number of Higgs bosons that physicists have to study by an order of magnitude. The HL-LHC is expected to be operationally ready by 2029. In the meantime, Run 3 of the LHC will continue until 2026.
Data from collider Continue to create new subatomic particles Although it needs to be interrogated, some of the putative sources of the universe’s dark matter remain elusive. At least for now.
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