Just because Fermilab shut off its famousTevartronback in 2011 does n’t entail the intact facility closed down with it . In fact , the Chicago - area physical science research laboratory is embarking on an auspicious architectural plan to evolve some of the world ’s most herculean proton beam engineering by the end of the X . But first , research worker have to instal a 50 - foot diameter electromagnet shipped in from 3,000 miles out and unlock the mysterious lives of elusive subatomic particles . No fret , right-hand ?
Dubbed the Muon G-2 tintinnabulation , this 50 - foot wide steel and aluminum electromagnet earlier domiciliate at the Brookhaven National Laboratory where it help develop the initial data that chair to the designation of muons , rare subatomic molecule with a ledge life of just 2.2 one-millionth of a arcsecond , in the nineties . Problem was , the proton beam at Brookhaven was n’t powerful enough to properly beleaguer out the exact characteristics of muons , specifically their wobble . See , when usher in into an electromagnetic field , mu-meson will wobble slightly , like a top that ’s losing momentum . Researchers were capable to forecast out to six decimal places the exact economic value of the wobble but they what were reckon was n’t dovetail with what their computation said they should be . There is a possibility , research worker concluded , that an unknown particle might be behind it but their underpowered proton beam caused huge gross profit of error and rendered the data statistically peanut .
“ Fermilab can mother a much more acute and pure beam of muons , so the Muon g-2 experiment should be able to close that gross profit margin of error , ” said Chris Polly , task manager for Fermilab , press loss . “ If we can do that , this experimentation could indicate that there is exciting science wait beyond what we have respect . ”
That ’s why Fermilab spend $ 3 million shipping the ring from Long Island , New York , down around the steer of Florida via hoy , and back up the Mississippi River to Illinois . The move was extremely slow with a top overland swiftness of just 10 MPH — like moving the Space Shuttle through downtown LA were the Space Shuttle five lanes widely , weighed 17 tons , and could n’t be allowed to flex more than 2 millimetre without breaking . But hey , it ’s still cheaper than blow $ 30 million to build a new one onsite .
The ring arrived safely at Fermilab last Thursday , much to the glee of resident researchers and once usable could chair to the recognition of sullen topic particles , or at least explain why muon magnetism is always off from the numerical model by a theoretical value of two .
“ That difference with two arises because of the virtual quantum particles fluctuate in and out of the vacuum , so they appear and evaporate , but they exchange the muon ’s magnetism , ” Bradley Roberts , a Boston University physics prof helping lead the Fermilab experimentation , tell the Chicago Tribune .
That ’s where the new Muon g-2 ring comes in . It produces a very exact magnetic field , which will give up investigator to more accurately measure the muon ’s wobble . But first , Fermilab technicians will have to produce a stream of mu-meson . This is done by smashing clumps of protons , 1012 subatomic particle in each cluster , together 12 times a second into a fixed target . This outgrowth generates pion , which are then guided to the 45 - foot - diameter Muon Delivery Ring via a serial publication of attracter until they finish decaying into mu-meson . From there , the new muons are quickly shuttled over to the new 50 - infantry precision reposition ring for observation .
As the Fermilab Muon G-2experiment pageexplains :
When placed in a charismatic field , the negative muon — with its bar - magnet - in - miniature — precesses because of the torque the magnetic theater of operations exerts on the muon ’s spinning magnetic minute . The muon ’s g - value , is alter by particles that look and vanish within the vacuum . So the muon precession charge per unit is also alter , by the amount g-2 .
The Standard Model of speck physic reach a very precise prediction of the negative muon g-2 , accurate to 400 parts per billion . The purpose of the Fermilab Muon g-2 experiment is to make a mensuration that is precise to 140 parts per billion . This is equivalent to measuring the length of a football game field to a preciseness of one - ten percent the thickness of a human fuzz . With this increase precision , scientist can compare the experimental g-2 measure to the Standard Model foretelling . The conflict between the two value should render an unambiguous answer to the query , Are there new , as yet unseen , particles and forces that subsist in nature ?
“ It could be a major discovery , ” Fermilab spokesman Lee Roberts told the Tribune , potentially unfold an entirely new subject field of particle physics . We ’ll have to wait a bit to see out though . The magnetic ring requires another three class of setup and assembly before it can begin experiments , hopefully in 2016 . [ Fermi Lab – CBS Local – Chicago Tribune – Top Image : Brookhaven National Laboratory ]
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