In 2010 , physicists discover a variance in the size of it of the proton . They take away a hydrogen corpuscle and switched the electron for a mu-meson ( its heavier full cousin ) , and discovered that for some unknown understanding the radius of the proton shrunk . This has been called the proton radius puzzle .
The squad has repeated the experiment for an atom of deuterium , an isotope of H , and once the negatron was switched for the muon , the scientists observed once again a size of it variant in the nucleus . This finding was describe inScience .
The muon is an primary corpuscle about 200 times heavier than the negatron . Being so heavy when put into an atom moves it much nearer to the karyon than the electron , and its movement can be used to contemplate the property of particles in the atomic nucleus .
However , the surprising fact is that it should n’t change the nucleus . Electrons and negative muon have the same electric heraldic bearing , which is what keeps them around the nucleus , but that does n’t dissemble the size of it of the proton .
There are a few explanation vanish around to explicate this discrepancy . One idea is that we are seeing grounds of an unknown force , although that is very unlikely .
The squad thinks the variance might not be in the fresh measurements , but in the old ones . The previous measurements of the proton and the deuteron ( the cell nucleus of heavy hydrogen ) using hydrogen spectroscopy might not have reached the same degree of preciseness .
“ Naturally , it ca n’t be that the deuteron – any more than the proton – has two different size , ” said co - author Aldo Antognini from the Paul Scherrer Institute ( PSI ) in Switzerland in astatement .
“ The enigma could be solved very easily if we assume a minimum experimental problem with the hydrogen spectrographic analysis . ”
Since the proton results , labs around the mankind have been upgrading their measuring setup , hold a more accurate measurement . There has not been any confirmation that the variant is indeed due to a less exact measurement , but the squad is felicitous that their uncovering has led to this global rise .
“ If our value had agreed with the previous I , there would not have been this darned mystery of the proton radius ; but there also never would have been this worldwide surge of activity that has led to several extremely accurate measurement setup , ” direct author Randolf Pohl , also from the PSI , added .
Hopefully , Modern measurements will soon be able to clarify if this is a quirk of the experiments , or some nameless physics at piece of work .
