The heaviest particle in the universe: physicists challenged Einstein's theory. What were the results?

In 1905, Albert Einstein formulated the special theory of relativity, which defines the relationship between time, space, and energy, as well as how elementary particles move through space at nearly the speed of light. Physicists aimed to determine whether the heaviest elementary particle in the universe adheres to this theory. This particle could pave the way for entirely new physics, making experiments at the Large Hadron Collider critically important. The study was published in the journal Physics Letters B, as reported by Space.

Specifically, physicists sought to understand if one of the fundamental principles of Einstein's theory, known as Lorentz symmetry, consistently applies to true quarks. Lorentz symmetry states that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers who are not accelerating. This implies that the outcomes of experiments should not depend on the experiment's orientation or the speed at which it occurs.

There are theories that suggest Lorentz symmetry might be violated during experiments in particle accelerators at very high energies, implying that the special theory of relativity could fail. However, any violation of Lorentz symmetry could indicate the existence of new physics, as it represents a deviation from the Standard Model of particle physics.

If Lorentz symmetry is violated, the laws of physics may differ for observers in different reference frames. This means that any observational results would depend on the orientation of the experiment in spacetime.

Physicists decided to investigate whether Lorentz symmetry is violated using pairs of true quarks. It’s important to remember that protons and neutrons, which make up the atomic nucleus, are composed of quarks. The researchers aimed to determine whether the rate of true quark production during proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider varies depending on the time of day.

If the collisions of protons, which are moving nearly at the speed of light, depend on the orientation of the proton beam, then the rate at which true quark pairs are produced should change over time. This occurs because, as our planet rotates, the direction of the proton beams in the particle accelerator shifts. Therefore, the direction of the true quarks should also change. This means that the number of quarks produced should depend on the time of day when the proton collisions happen.

According to the physicists, if there is a preferred direction in spacetime and a violation of Lorentz symmetry, there should be a deviation from the constant rate of true quark pair production based on the time of day when the experiment is conducted. Discovering such a deviation would indicate the presence of new physics beyond Einstein's special theory of relativity and the Standard Model of particle physics upon which the theory is based.

As a result of the experiment with true quarks, physicists found no evidence of Lorentz symmetry violation, indicating that there is no proof that true quarks challenge Einstein's theory, regardless of how the proton beams are oriented or what time of day the proton collisions occur.

From this, it can be concluded that the special theory of relativity has successfully passed its tests. Nonetheless, physicists still want to conduct a new experiment using proton collisions at higher energies. They also intend to employ other heavy particles, such as the Higgs boson and W boson. It is possible that new experiments may reveal that Einstein was incorrect and that alternative physics exists. But for now, the special theory of relativity remains intact.