A peek inside the box that could help solve a quantum mystery

sc604 — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 15:22:24 +0000

Appearing as 鈥榖umps鈥� in the data from high-energy experiments, these signals came to be known as short-lived 鈥榅YZ states.鈥� They defy the standard picture of particle behaviour and are a problem in contemporary physics, sparking several attempts to understand their mysterious nature.

But theorists at the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚 Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Virginia, with colleagues from the 探花直播 of Cambridge, suggest the experimental data could be explained with fewer XYZ states, also called resonances, than currently claimed.

探花直播team used a branch of quantum physics to compute the energy levels, or mass, of particles containing a specific 鈥榝lavour鈥� of the subatomic building blocks known as quarks. Quarks, along with gluons, a force-carrying particle, make up the Strong Force, one of the four fundamental forces of nature.

探花直播researchers found that multiple particle states sharing the same degree of spin 鈥� or angular momentum 鈥� are coupled, meaning only a single resonance exists at each spin channel. This new interpretation is contrary to several other theoretical and experimental studies.

探花直播researchers have presented their results in a pair of companion papers published for the international Hadron Spectrum Collaboration (HadSpec) in Physical Review Letters and Physical Review D. 探花直播work could also provide clues about an enigmatic particle: X(3872).

探花直播charm quark, one of six quark 鈥榝lavours鈥�, was first observed experimentally in 1974. It was discovered alongside its antimatter counterpart, the anticharm, and particles paired this way are part of an energy region called 鈥榗harmonium.鈥�

In 2003, Japanese researchers discovered a new charmonium candidate dubbed X(3872): a short-lived particle state that appears to defy the present quark model.

鈥淴(3872) is now more than 20 years old, and we still haven鈥檛 obtained a clear, simple explanation that everyone can get behind,鈥� said lead author Dr David Wilson from Cambridge鈥檚 Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP).

Thanks to the power of modern particle accelerators, scientists have detected a hodgepodge of exotic charmonium candidate states over the past two decades.

鈥淗igh-energy experiments started seeing bumps, interpreted as new particles, almost everywhere they looked,鈥� said co-author Professor Jozef Dudek from William & Mary. 鈥淎nd very few of these states agreed with the model that came before.鈥�

But now, by creating a tiny virtual 鈥榖ox鈥� to simulate quark behaviour, the researchers discovered that several supposed XYZ particles might actually be just one particle seen in different ways. This could help simplify the confusing jumble of data scientists have collected over the years.

Despite the tiny volumes they were working with, the team required enormous computing power to simulate all the possible behaviours and masses of quarks.

探花直播researchers used supercomputers at Cambridge and the Jefferson Lab to infer all the possible ways in which mesons 鈥� made of a quark and its antimatter counterpart 鈥� could decay. To do this, they had to relate the results from their tiny virtual box to what would happen in a nearly infinite volume 鈥� that is, the size of the universe.

鈥淚n our calculations, unlike experiment, you can't just fire in two particles and measure two particles coming out,鈥� said Wilson. 鈥淵ou have to simultaneously calculate all possible final states, because quantum mechanics will find those for you.鈥�

探花直播results can be understood in terms of just a single short-lived particle whose appearance could differ depending upon which possible decay state it is observed in.

鈥淲e're trying to simplify the picture as much as possible, using fundamental theory with the best methods available,鈥� said Wilson. 鈥淥ur goal is to disentangle what has been seen in experiments.鈥�

Now that the team has proved this type of calculation is feasible, they are ready to apply it to the mysterious particle X(3872).

鈥� 探花直播origin of X(3872) is an open question,鈥� said Wilson. 鈥淚t appears very close to a threshold, which could be accidental or a key part of the story. This is one thing we will look at very soon."

Professor Christopher Thomas, also from DAMTP, is a member of the Hadron Spectrum Collaboration, and is a co-author on the current studies. Wilson鈥檚 contribution was made possible in part by an eight-year fellowship with the Royal Society. 探花直播research was also supported in part by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Many of the calculations for this study were carried out with the support of the Cambridge Centre for Data Driven Discovery (CSD3) and DiRAC high-performance computing facilities in Cambridge, managed by Cambridge鈥檚 Research Computing Services division.

Reference:
David J. Wilson et al. 鈥�Scalar and Tensor Charmonium Resonances in Coupled-Channel Scattering from Lattice QCD.鈥� Physical Review Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.241901

David J. Wilson et al. 鈥�Charmonium xc0 and xc2 resonances in coupled-channel scattering from lattice QCD.鈥� Physical Review D (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.109.114503

Adapted from a Jefferson Lab story.

An elusive particle that first formed in the hot, dense early universe has puzzled physicists for decades. Following its discovery in 2003, scientists began observing a slew of other strange objects tied to the millionths of a second after the Big Bang.

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探花直播 of Cambridge - Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

A peek inside the box that could help solve a quantum mystery