Pablo Martínez-Juarez
WriterEnvironmental economist and science journalist. For a few years, I worked as a researcher on the economics of climate change adaptation. Now I write about that and much more.
You might think the scientific community understands the atomic nucleus well, especially considering researchers tend to focus on gaining a deeper insight into quantum mechanics and the interactions among subatomic particles like quarks and gluons. However, there’s still much to learn about the organization of protons and neutrons within the nucleus.
New evidence. In a recent study published in Physical Review Letters, scientists at Germany’s Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt and the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics MPIK have unveiled a small “deformation” in atomic nuclei. This discovery suggests the potential existence of “dark forces” that influence interactions between neutrons and electrons within the atom.
From dark matter to dark force. In 2020, a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology noticed an unusual phenomenon while comparing different isotopes of ytterbium, which is element number 70. Researchers were investigating changes in electronic resonance among the isotopes (versions of an element that vary in neutron number) and encountered unexpected results.
The experiment may have been the first time researchers encountered a still unexplained phenomenon known as “dark forces.” This concept suggests an unexplored interaction between particles, specifically neutrons and electrons.
This force is equivalent to the more widely studied “dark matter,” which interacts with conventional matter primarily through gravity. According to the German research team, “dark forces” might also govern the interactions between dark matter and ordinary matter. Moreover, these forces might influence matter within the atoms themselves.
Measuring deformations. Identifying these hypothetical interactions is challenging. To investigate them, the research team measured atomic transition frequencies and isotope mass ratios between various ytterbium isotopes.
The two laboratories leading this research employed different methodologies to analyze the data. However, both achieved much more precise measurements than those in previous experiments. As a result, scientists confirmed the existence of an anomaly in their observations.
From practice to theory. Researchers wanted to establish a theoretical foundation for the anomalies observed in experiments conducted in collaboration with teams at the Technical University of Darmstadt and other institutions.
They explained that this data allowed them to extract direct information about the nucleus’s deformation in various ytterbium isotopes. This innovative approach of “looking inside” atoms could provide a new perspective on analyzing heavy atomic nuclei and “neutron-rich matter.”
This line of research could enhance the scientific community’s understanding of neutron star physics and open new avenues for collaboration in the quest for the long-anticipated “new physics.”
Image | Terry Vlisidis
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