On Jun. 8, 2021, according to the source, University of Oxford, during the “second run of the Large Hadron Collider,” Oxford physicists found a Charm Meson. Quarks and antiquarks comprise the Charm Meson, which “oscillate[s] between those two states” of matter and antimatter.
The oscillation is called quantum superposition. Before any further explanation, I’ll define some terms here.
According to Simple Science, an antiparticle is a particle with the same mass as a regular particle. Still, it has a different charge than its counterparts, i.e., an electron with a negative charge versus a positron with a positive charge that differs from the proton. A quark is an “elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter.” Simply, a quark is another subatomic particle like electrons and positrons.
Quantum superposition gives physicists more insight into particle behavior because it “behaves outside the Standard Model” explains University of Oxford. The source, Energy.Gov states that The Standard Model is a theory for particle physicists that describes the “building blocks of the universe [which are] quarks.” University of Oxford reports that Oxford physicists found that the quantum superposition is only possible when it is an “observed” which hints at Eintein’s ‘Spooky Physics,’ or more formally, quantum physics, which is a type of physics that measures the observer effect, results that depend on whether an observer is present), superposition (combination of multiple states simultaneously, and entanglement, two very interconnected particles seen as a singular system, of a particle or particles. The evidence that proves the existence of quantum superposition is the precise measurement of “1×10-38g” through multiple trials of the Five Sigma test (proves that the tested ‘thing’ is a concrete occurring phenomenon rather than “statistical fluctuation,” says CERN).
The only other subatomic particle found with the same behavior was the “Strange Mesons in the 1960s” mentions University of Oxford.
Although quantum physics measures the observer effect, superposition, and entanglement, what is quantum physics all about? To sum it up, as a very punny sentence, it’s really about quarky subatomic particles because they’re unlike the other particles. According to Medium, “they don’t obey the standard rules of nature as the rest of life does. They’re rebels.” The true aim of quantum physics, which Caltech explains, is to study life’s bizarre, confounding phenomena at its most “fundamental level.” Quantum Physics helps to provide a “foundational understanding of materials, chemistry, biology, and astronomy” A famous, if not the most quantum physics experiment is the Double Slit Experiment which aimed to “show that light is made up of waves; [later] numerous [versions] of the experiment that matter [also has the three components of] superposition, entanglement, and observer effect.”
Here are the questions, though: What does this do for the future of particle physics? How is this relevant to any of us, and why is Einstein coming back into the discussion here? What is his relevance? Let’s hear from a couple of our Laguna teachers to clarify.
Daniel Ary, Laguna’s Math and Computer Science Instructor, comments, “They’re [really] trying to figure out why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe [since] antimatter is attracted to gravity like matter. The real importance of this [discovery] is that they want to know why the universe is matter and not antimatter.”
Like Daniel Ary, Bill Ellis, Laguna’s Physics Instructor, has more to say about the matter and antimatter ratio question:
“If everything’s energy, then it might not be that the charm quark is converting into an anticharm because there’s no matter to be converted” says Ellis. “It might be that the energy is oscillating because we are not living in an antimatter world [which can suggest evidence for] other dimensions.”
In other words, Ellis suggests that the Charm Meson’s significance hints at the existence of other dimensions beyond our three-dimensional world.
Although the question about whether Einstein’s theories should come back into the conversation was not addressed, Einstein’s theory is relevant because he was the first to discover that some particles move faster than the speed of light, which is incomprehensible to him and many other physicists. According to his famous equation, E = mc2, matter that moves at the speed of light immediately turns into energy. That’s the real reason why Einstein called it ‘Spooky’ physics. The Charm Meson is part of a group of subatomic particles that move faster than the speed of light. So, that raises the following question: Are all of the particles that move at the speed of light from another dimension? The truthful answer, at least for now, is that we don’t exactly know and may never know because we are three-dimensional creatures who cannot understand other dimensions in their most accurate existence.
