LHC Discovers Something... Or maybe not?

[Macavity]

Intriguing! But the previously seen "bump" seems to be slowly sinking into the background now?

https://www.theguardian.com/science/life-and-physics/2016/mar/17/an-update-on-a-possible-new-particle-from-cerns-large-hadron-collider

Rather well summarised by John Ellis (with my emphasis):

Quote

“If this thing turns out to be real, it’s a ten on the Richter scale of particle physics,” says John Ellis, professor of physics at King’s College London, and the former head of theory at Cern. “One’s excitometer gets totally broken.” That if, though, is a big one.

“I would love for it to persist, but I’ve seen so many effects come and go that I have to say in my heart of hearts I’m not very optimistic. It would be such a fantastic discovery if it were true, precisely because it’s unexpected, and because it would be the tip of an iceberg of new forms of matter,” Ellis says.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/mar/18/excitement-grows-over-large-hadron-colliders-possible-new-particle-lhc

[nameunknown]

The "Nutralino" perhaps - or it could just be a bit of spin - a possible candidate to form "cold dark matter". Awesome to think that these whisps of twisting nothing might be most of everything, while the rest of our universe is just a little noise in the background.

P

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Perhaps these are Narrativium particles

[Davey-T]

Perhaps it's a ploy to get more funding to pay for the refit

Dave

[nameunknown]

56 minutes ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

Perhaps these are Narrativium particles

same old story.

[nameunknown]

45 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

Perhaps it's a ploy to get more funding to pay for the refit

Dave

Yikes, the universe needs a refit? I knew it was too good to last.

[saac]

3 hours ago, nameunknown said:

Yikes, the universe needs a refit? I knew it was too good to last.

Hope the new one comes with power windows

[Macavity]

Nothing sinister / secret about CERN (Muahaha). But, in the past, scientists were asked
to  "keep shtum" about preliminary results? And maybe science was the better for it. 

I see someone suggesting we "petition" CERN re. public rights to attend conferences!
Believe me (I am not alone thinking?) meetings are not the most fun one can have... 

 

Edited March 26, 2016 by Macavity

[George Jones]

I feel like a little kid on the night before Christmas, as I have been eagerly awaiting Beyond the Standard Models observations for more than 30 years. As a postgrad student, I used to say often "I hope the top quark isn't discovered, I hope antimatter falls up, ..." so my supervisor called my "an anarchist"!

[nameunknown]

mmmm... it's said of Switzerland that if there is one thing they can hide better than their money it is their sense of humour, so amateur astronomers having a rant about results at CERN might not go down too well. Pity really, in places they have quite good clear skies, although the mountains do get in the way.