Muons, Mass, and a Generational Breakthrough in Particle Physics
Physics Professor Lee Roberts helped co-found a long-standing experiment through the US Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory that recently announced what amounts to a generational breakthrough in the field. The experiment now involves over 200 scientists, including several from the CAS Physics Department. By studying muons (naturally occurring particles) as they travel through a magnetic field, they discovered the particles behaving strangely. The muons appeared to be acting beyond what’s predicted in the Standard Model of physics, a finding that indicates there are hidden particles or forces at work of which scientists are not yet aware. You can read more about this work on The Brink.
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