Physicists used the universe's heaviest particle to challenge Einstein's theory. What did they discover?

120 years ago, Albert Einstein introduced the special theory of relativity, which has been challenged numerous times. This theory explains how particles move at speeds close to the speed of light and how time, space, and energy are interconnected. Using the world's most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider, physicists tested whether true quarks obey the special theory of relativity. True quarks are the heaviest fundamental particles in the universe, with a mass approximately 340,000 times greater than that of an electron. Scientists believe this particle could reveal principles that extend beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, which is based on the special theory of relativity, potentially indicating the existence of new physics. The research findings were published in the journal Physics Letters B, as reported by Interesting Engineering.

Physicists devised an experiment to determine if pairs of true quarks could violate Lorentz symmetry, a hallmark of Einstein's special theory of relativity.

Lorentz symmetry is a concept that suggests the laws of physics are invariant, meaning they remain unchanged under Lorentz transformations. These transformations comprise a set of mathematical equations that describe how the coordinates of space and time change when transitioning from one observer's reference frame to another.

Any violation of Lorentz symmetry is considered a deviation from the Standard Model of particle physics. Scientists searched for such violations during the experiment, which investigated whether the rate of true quark pair production during proton collisions varies depending on the time of day.

As the Earth rotates on its axis, the direction of proton beams in the Large Hadron Collider and the direction in which true quarks are produced during proton collisions change. This occurs because the proton beams are directed in a fixed position in space, yet as our planet rotates, the orientation of these beams and the particles produced changes relative to the observer.

If there exists a particular direction in space-time that is not predicted by Einstein's special theory of relativity, then the rate of true quark pair production should vary throughout the day as the Earth's position changes in relation to the experiment. If such a variation were detected, it would indicate a violation of Lorentz symmetry, suggesting the presence of new physics beyond Einstein's special theory of relativity.

When physicists analyzed the experimental data, they found no changes. The rate of true quark pair production remained constant, regardless of the time of day. This indicates that Lorentz symmetry was not violated, and the theory of Einstein remains intact. Once again, this reaffirms that Einstein was indeed correct.