Question from a noob. If the W Boson is heavier than we thought, could that explain dark matter?
I was wondering the same thing. Dark matter has never been observed. Its existence is based entirely on equations.
Scientists are worried about the W Boson: 'Something is amiss'
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Re: Scientists are worried about the W Boson: 'Something is amiss'
#32A very good piece of journalism explaining the problem for non physicists. For me personally, the discussion by the researchers about their guiding principles for conducting scientific research was a great reminder for all researchers.. As that section concluded : "Science is organized in skepticism."
Very good? It feels patronising to me... "[I]t involves physics that'll explode our minds. Trust me."? "To get a W boson in the first place, you literally have to smash two protons together."? Feels like it's aimed at 5th graders...
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Re: Scientists are worried about the W Boson: 'Something is amiss'
#33Re: Scientists are worried about the W Boson: 'Something is amiss'
#34No mention of how far away from the prediction the mass is?
Re: Scientists are worried about the W Boson: 'Something is amiss'
#35we'd have to change our understanding of how all the particles in the universe work. Well, remember the new paper? We're pretty much entering that worst case scenario. I believe you mean "best case"! There was much hue and cry after the Higgs discovery because the result, at least from the outside, seemed like "welp, we predicted a thing and found it and we don't have any new physics to disagree with; what a letdown!…
Definition of Science:
1 a : a study where participants seek to disprove their own conjectures
b: the practice of getting excited when proven wrong because it means more work
Re: Scientists are worried about the W Boson: 'Something is amiss'
#36This article states that the most recent measurement agrees with others over the last decade. That is simply not true. https://non-trivial-solution.blogspot.com/2022/04/do-we-have...
> this finally the sign of new physics, which we all have been hoping for? I don't understand this mindset? Why (aside from creating jobs) is it good to discover that the universe is more complicated than we knew, or that we were wrong? To me, what we want in "new physics" is explanations for unexplained phenomena, or resolutions to know problems/inconsistencies (like quantum vs gravity), or emergent effects that les…
We know the standard model is wrong. It explicitly calls itself out.
New physics are the only thing that can guide discovery of the correct answer.
Re: Scientists are worried about the W Boson: 'Something is amiss'
#37Re: Scientists are worried about the W Boson: 'Something is amiss'
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
> One of the recent (past decade or so) major mistaken discoveries in particle physics was a cabling issue. Have more info on this or link about it?
I'm guessing the parent is referring to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faster-than-light_neutrino_ano...
Yes, thank you, that's the one I was thinking about. Apologies for not naming/linking it in the first place.
Re: Scientists are worried about the W Boson: 'Something is amiss'
#39Question from a noob. If the W Boson is heavier than we thought, could that explain dark matter?
they're not that much heavier than we thought, like 0.01% or something. heavier enough it means either the measurement or the physics is wrong, far too light to be dark matter. they're also extremely short-lived and also carry electric charge, so they're not even dark.
Re: Scientists are worried about the W Boson: 'Something is amiss'
#40Worried? No, no no... Something seem to be odd and that's wonderful. Discovery awaits.