Chapter 155 The culprit responsible for the mystery of the proton radius
Compared to the excitement and craziness of the group members, Xu Chuan was quite calm.
This value indeed exceeded his expectations, and could even be said to have created history.
But he has also experienced strong winds and waves, and he will not shout excitedly like other group members.
Moreover, the number 0.831 femtometer is not necessarily recognized by the physics community.
The mystery of the radius of the proton is not an easy problem to solve.
In the world of mathematics, when a problem has a solution and an answer, as long as the solution and answer are confirmed to be correct, then the problem can be declared to be completely solved.
But the physics community is not, at least not when faced with such a hugely controversial issue.
An answer calculated and verified through experiments is not so safe and convincing.
If you want the physics community to fully accept this number, you need at least another completely different measurement method to get the same, or very similar, number.
Two sets of experiments with completely different methods obtained the same set of data, and they need to be reproduced to ensure the accuracy of the proton radius.
A single set of experiments doesn't mean much.
But now, as crazy as the group members are, they have now indeed set a new record.
The particle physics community will be shocked by this answer.
Xu Chuan can guarantee that his atomic charge radius experiment can be completely replicated.
As long as there are no problems in the data analysis work, then the radius of 0.831 femtometers will be locked to the hydrogen atom, and may even become a universal radius in the future physics world.
.......
After the team members' excitement subsided, Xu Chuan began to rearrange the work.
They need to repeatedly check the previous experimental analysis data to ensure that all data are normal and there are no problems.
This is a very important step.
Only if he repeatedly confirms that there are no problems with these experimental analysis data, will he publicly announce it to the outside world. Otherwise, standing at the press conference and announcing wrong data will make them a joke.
The detailed inspection work began. This time, Xu Chuan personally analyzed the overall data.
Overall, there was no problem, but the physical image analysis data on the scattering of gravitons and protons proposed by Nunnally Kessler caught his attention.
In this analysis of data, there appeared a data calculation that seemed a bit 'abnormal'.
"When the electron beam comes into contact with the hydrogen molecular cloud and is excited to the 3s state, the energy level data seems to be much higher than previous experiments?"
In front of the display screen, Xu Chuan touched his chin and stared at the calculation data above.
After his rebirth, his sensitivity to various numbers seemed to have improved a lot, and he could find problematic areas in the calculation data at a glance.
After thinking for a while, Xu Chuan opened his notebook and pulled out the previous proton radius measurement experimental data from the computer.
A simple comparison shows that, sure enough, in this acceleration experiment, when the electron beam contacted the hydrogen molecular cloud and was excited to the 3s state, the energy level data was 1.7 higher.
This value is not very large, but it will definitely affect the final proton radius value.
"Is there something wrong?"
With a question mark floating in his mind, Xu Chuan found the original data and began to analyze it himself.
It doesn't take long to analyze a small part of the experimental data. In less than a quarter of an hour, he completed the analysis of this part of the original data.
There was nothing wrong with Nunnally Kessler's work, and the parsed data was exactly the same as he had repeatedly verified.
"It's strange, why in this collision experiment, when the electron beam contacts the hydrogen molecular cloud and excites it to the 3s state, the energy level is 1.7 higher than that in the historical collision experiment?"
"Were you affected in any way?"
After completing the analysis of three historical experimental data and four current experimental data, Xu Chuan confirmed that there was a difference in this value.
When the electron beam contacts the hydrogen molecular cloud and excites it to the 3s state, the energy level is 1.7 to 1.8 energy levels higher than that of the historical collision experiment.
Although this difference is not very big, it does exist, and when carried into subsequent calculations, it does interfere with the radius of the proton, and the number is about 0.025~0.03 femtometers.
"Is it caused by the interference caused by the collision of electrons and hydrogen atoms by the metal container?"
For the first time, Xu Chuan thought of the difference between his experiment and other historical experiments.
If there is any difference between his experiment this time and previous atomic charge radius experiments, the only difference is that with the help of a more advanced proton accelerator, he canceled the metal containers used to store hydrogen atom clouds and directly transferred the hydrogen atoms.
The cloud is imported into the accelerator's observation pipeline.
After all, after the high-energy electron beam enters the metal, it will react with the metal atoms, and its scattering will cause certain interference in the experimental data.
However, judging from past experimental data, this interference is not very strong, so previous experiments almost ignored this interference.
But now, keen scientific research intuition and data intuition tell Xu Chuan that perhaps this part of the scattering interference is stronger than the previous knowledge of the physics community.
He may have inadvertently found the reason why the proton radius obtained from the traditional electron-proton scattering atomic charge radius experiment is always 0.87 femtometers in the mystery of the proton radius.
Thinking of this, Xu Chuan's eyes suddenly brightened.
In the traditional electron-proton scattering atomic charge radius experiment, the test of hydrogen atom cloud is indeed done in a metal container, which may have some problems.
But to be sure, data needs to speak for itself.
This is not difficult for him. It can be achieved through the data of this atomic charge radius experiment and another type of energy spectrum measurement experiment called hydrogen-like atoms.
The credibility of the three types of experimental data is quite high in comparison.
If it can be confirmed that the metal container causes scattering interference to the high-energy electron beam, then the mystery of the proton radius, one of the hottest problems in the current physics world, can be solved.
...........
After taking a deep breath and suppressing his beating heart, Xu Chuan carefully calculated the data in his hands again.
There was no problem with the calculation. Judging from the eight pieces of data he had analyzed, when the electron beam came into contact with the hydrogen molecular cloud and excited it to the 3s state, the energy level was indeed 1.7-1.8 energy higher than that of the historical collision experiment.
class.
This may be caused by scattering interference caused by testing hydrogen atom clouds in metal containers, or it may also be the reason why the charge radius of protons deviates from the two sets of values with huge differences.
After finding the possible cause of the problem, the rest is to use data to prove it.
But that's not the most important thing right now.
What he wants to do now is to complete the inspection of the experimental data of atomic charge radius.
Then submit an acceptance report to.
This is what should be done now.
As for the reason you just found, it doesn't matter if you wait until the report is submitted.
In China, you need to apply in advance to hold a press conference.
For example, to complete an experiment and submit an acceptance report, you need to apply at least three days in advance.
This will allow enough time to arrange the "acceptor", and at the same time publish the lecture information so that interested physicists can come and attend the lecture.
........
After confirming that there were no problems with the experimental analysis data this time and confirming that the calculated proton radius data was accurate, Xu Chuan submitted an application for holding a press conference.
After submitting the application materials, the review team completed the review the next morning and scheduled the press conference three days later.
As for these three days, Xu Chuan needs to prepare report materials, think about various issues that may arise at the report meeting, and dig out data from historical atomic charge radius experiments to confirm that metal containers scatter high-energy electron beams.
Whether the interference will cause a large enough deviation in the radius of the proton.
This is his time and task schedule for these three days.
But before that, he had one more thing to do.
That is to report the results of this time to his mentor.
His mentor Witten has not returned to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and has been staying in the hotel waiting for his experiment to be completed.
.......
With the printed information in hand, Xu Chuan took the elevator to the third floor.
Witten lives here.
After knocking on the door, the voice of "Please come in" came from inside. Xu Chuan opened the door and walked in. In the room, Witten was sitting at the wooden table exchanging something with another old man.
Hearing the movement, Witten and the old man looked up at the same time.
"tutor."
Xu Chuan shouted and said hello to the old man beside him: "Hello, Professor Frank."
"Do you know me?" Frank Wilzek asked curiously at the wooden table.
Xu Chuan smiled and said: "Your outstanding achievements in quark particle theory and strong interaction theory are known to the world."
"I have read your books The Lightness of Being and Amazing Realities: The Real, Amazing World of Physics."
Frank Wilzek smiled and said: "That's just something for ordinary people to see. An outstanding young man like you should learn knowledge from top journals or papers."
Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled.
This is probably one of the old professor's biggest interests and hobbies in his life.
He likes to communicate with other scholars and likes to give advice to others, especially young scholars, which makes him have many friends. However, many people hate this about him and think that he likes to be a teacher.
But overall, most people will think seriously about the advice of a Nobel laureate.
In addition, another hobby of this old professor is publishing books.
He has written many popular science books on physics, such as "The Lightness of Being", "Wonderful Reality: The Real, Wonderful World of Physics", "Beautiful Questions: The Grand Design of the Universe", "The Principle of Everything", etc., and is an outstanding science popularizer.
writer.
After saying hello to Wilzek, Xu Chuan took his backpack from behind, took out a stack of printing paper, and handed it to his mentor Witten.
"Teacher, the analysis of the data from the proton radius mystery experiment has been completed. We have obtained a brand new proton radius value, and it is smaller than the previous proton radius."
"New proton radius data?"
Upon hearing Xu Chuan's words, Edward Witten raised his eyebrows and curiously took the document from Xu Chuan's hand.
"0.831x10-15m±0.0016 femtometer."
"It is indeed completely different from the previous measurement data, but the method used this time seems to be completely different from the previous measurement method. Was it designed and improved by you?"
After flipping through the information in his hand, Witten raised his head with interest and asked.
He was more interested in the improved measurement method used this time than a brand new proton radius.
Xu Chuan nodded and said: "We have indeed optimized some of the experimental steps. Theoretically speaking, the metal containers used in the original method will cause certain interference to the collision of electrons and hydrogen atoms, and this will lead to distortion of the observed data.
."
"So on this basis, I asked my staff to directly inject hydrogen atoms into the acceleration pipeline to avoid this part of the interference and obtain more accurate collision data."
"However, this method also has great limitations. It requires a more powerful accelerator to complete,"
Witten thought for a while and said: "This can indeed optimize the entire experimental process, but theoretically speaking, the degree of optimization it can do should not reach the point of further reducing the radius of the proton. What else is there in your experiment?"
Improvement?”
Xu Chuan shook his head and said: "No, the further reduction of the proton's radius may indeed be related to the method used in this acceleration experiment."
Hearing this, Wei Teng raised his eyelids and stared at Xu Chuan.
He was keenly aware that his student might have discovered something.
Being stared at by his mentor, Xu Chuan once again took out a stack of manuscript paper from his backpack and handed it over: "This is my new discovery yesterday."
"After optimizing and improving the atomic charge radius experiment and eliminating the use of metal containers as experimental devices for hydrogen atom clouds, I found that when high-energy electron beams come into contact with hydrogen molecular clouds and are excited to the 3s state, the energy level data is better than that of other laboratories.
The experimental energy level of the atomic charge radius is about 1.7~1.8 higher."
"And I happen to have the data of the 'Traditional Electron Proton Scattering Atomic Charge Radius Experiment' and the 'Energy Spectroscopy Measurement Experiment of Hydrogen-like Atoms' that I downloaded during data analysis."
"Through preliminary analysis, I found that the 'traditional electron proton scattering atomic charge radius experiments' almost all use metal containers as the experimental devices for hydrogen atom clouds. During the experiment, the high-energy electron beam will react with the metal container, causing
Scattering interference.”
"And this part of the scattering interference may be far beyond our previous knowledge."
"Perhaps this problem is the culprit of the proton radius mystery."
Xu Chuan briefly stated his thoughts and findings, and then waited quietly.
After finishing the manuscript paper, Witten started to read it carefully.
After a while, he suddenly raised his head and said, "Please give me a pen and paper."
He was attracted by Xu Chuan's calculations and discoveries. Judging from the analysis data on the manuscript paper, the answer may indeed be this.