Search Results (73)

There are two ways of linearizing the Klein–Gordon equation: Dirac’s choice, which introduces a matter–antimatter pair, and a second approach using a bivector, which Dirac did not consider. In this paper, we show that a bivector provides the classical origin of quantum spin. At high precessional frequencies, a symmetry transformation occurs in which classical reflection becomes quantum parity. We identify a classical spin-1 boson and demonstrate how bosons deliver energy, matter, and torque to a surface. The correspondence between classical and quantum domains allows spin to be identified as a quantum bivector, $i\sigma$. Using geometric algebra, we show that a classical boson has two blades, corresponding to magnetic quantum number states $m=\pm 1$. We conclude that fermions are the blades of bosons, thereby unifying both into a single particle theory. We compare and contrast the Standard Model, which uses chiral vectors as fundamental, with the Bivector Standard Model, which uses bivectors, with two hands, as fundamental. Full article

Beam diagnostics are essential tools for monitoring the performance of charged particle beams and the safe operation of particle accelerators. The performance of an accelerator is determined by evaluating the properties of beam particles, such as energy, charge, spatial, and temporal density distributions, which require very specific instruments. Faraday Cups (FCs) have emerged as important beam diagnostic devices because of their ability to accurately measure the beam charge and, in some cases, the charge distribution, which can be subsequently used to reconstruct transverse beam profiles. This paper aims to provide a detailed review of FCs, their principles, and their design challenges. FCs have applications in various scientific disciplines that include the measurement of beam current/intensity in particle accelerators, in addition to those for mass spectrometry, beam profiles/total beam currents for broad ion beams, thermonuclear fusion, and antimatter experiments. This review also covers and discusses the versatility of FCs in various scientific disciplines, along with showcasing the technological advancements that include improved collector materials, novel designs, enhanced measurement techniques, and developments in electronics and data acquisition (D.A.Q). A summary of the challenges faced while working with the FCs, such as sensitivity, calibration, and potential errors, is included in this review. Full article

Ball lightning (BL) has been observed for centuries. There are a large number of books, review articles, and original scientific papers devoted to different aspects of the BL phenomenon. Yet, the basic features of this phenomenon have never been explained by known physics. The main problem is the source which could power the dynamics of BL. We advocate the idea that dark matter (DM) in the form of axion quark nuggets (AQNs) made of standard model quarks and gluons (similar to the old idea of Witten’s strangelets) could internally generate the required power. The AQN model was invented long ago without any relation to BL physics. It was invented with a single motivation to explain the observed similarity, ${\Omega }_{\mathrm{DM}}\sim {\Omega }_{\mathrm{visible}}$, between visible and DM components. This relation represents a very generic feature of this framework, not sensitive to any parameters of the construction. However, with the same set of parameters being fixed long ago, this model is capable of addressing the key elements of the BL phenomenology, including the source of the energy powering the BL events. In particular, we argue that the visible size of BL, its typical life time, the frequency of its appearance, etc., are all consistent with the suggested proposal that BL represents a profound manifestation of DM physics represented by AQN objects. In this work, we limit ourselves to the analysis of the thunderstorm-related BL phenomena, though weather-unrelated BL events are also known to occur. We also formulate a number of specific possible tests which can refute or unambiguously substantiate this unorthodox proposal on the nature of BL. Full article

The Standard Model (SM) fails to explain many problems (neutrino masses, dark matter, and matter–antimatter asymmetry, among others) that may be resolved with new particles beyond the SM. No observation of such new particles may be explained either by their exceptionally high mass or by considerably small coupling to SM particles. The latter case implies relatively long lifetimes. Such long-lived particles (LLPs) then to have signatures different from those of SM particles. Searches in the “central region” are covered by the LHC general purpose experiments. The forward small angle region far from the interaction point (IP) is unexplored. Such particles are expected to have the energy as large as E = $\mathcal{O}$(1 TeV) and Lorentz time dilation factor $\gamma =E/m\approx {10}^2$–${10}^3$ (with m the particle mass) hence long enough decay distances. A new class of specialized LHC detectors dedicated to LLP searches has been proposed for the forward regions. Among these experiments, FASER is already operational, and FACET is under consideration at a location 100 m from the LHC IP5 (the CMS detector intersection). However, some features of FACET require a specially enlarged beam pipe, which cannot be implemented for LHC Run 4. In this study, we explore a simplified version of the proposed detector PREFACE compatible with the standard LHC beam pipe in the HL-LHC Run 4. Realistic Geant4 simulations are performed and the background is evaluated. An initial analysis of the physics potential with the PREFACE geometry indicates that several significant channels could be accessible with sensitivities comparable to FACET and other LLP searches. Full article

This work reviews the current research directions pursued by collaborations at CERN’s Antiproton Decelerator (AD), with an outlook on future perspectives and challenges in the field. The advancement of precision studies on antimatter builds upon foundational contributions by pioneering researchers, such as Guido Barbiellini Amidei, whose early work on antimatter detection and instrumentation has profoundly influenced the design and methodologies of contemporary experiments at the AD and beyond. This review underscores the lasting impact of these early innovations on ongoing investigations into fundamental symmetries and interactions involving antimatter. Full article

The fact that chiral symmetry is a crucial feature of the strong force was realized before the discovery of quantum chromodynamics. However, the full power it exerts on the structure of the nucleon only became apparent afterwards. We present a high-level and somewhat personal overview of its role in almost every aspect of the proton structure, from its mass and spin to the asymmetry of its antimatter content and its strange quark content. The lessons learned from studying the proton are also vital with respect to the modern challenge of the nature of baryon-excited states. Full article

Although the gravitational interaction between matter and antimatter has been the subject of theoretical speculation since the discovery of the latter in 1928, only recently was the ALPHA experiment at CERN able to observe, for the first time, the effects of gravity on antimatter atoms, namely on antihydrogen. After an introduction of the concept of antimatter, along with its still-unresolved mysteries, details about how antihydrogen is produced at the Antimatter Factory at CERN will be given. Finally, the measurement of the acceleration of gravity of antihydrogen atoms falling in the Earth’s gravitational field will be described. Full article

We recently proved that in our model of quantum gravity, the solutions to the quantized version of the full Einstein equations or to the Wheeler–DeWitt equation could be expressed as products of spatial and temporal eigenfunctions, or eigendistributions, of self-adjoint operators acting in corresponding separable Hilbert spaces. Moreover, near the big bang singularity, we derived sharp asymptotic estimates for the temporal eigenfunctions. In this paper, we show that, by using these estimates, there exists a complete sequence of unitarily equivalent eigenfunctions which can be extended past the singularity by even or odd mirroring as sufficiently smooth functions such that the extended functions are solutions of the appropriately extended equations valid in $\mathbb{R}$ in the classical sense. We also use this phenomenon to explain the missing antimatter. Full article

We propose a distinct mechanism to explain the matter–antimatter imbalance observed in the universe, rooted in quantum entanglement asymmetry (QEA). Our concept of QEA differs from its usage in the recent literature, where it typically measures how much symmetry is broken within a subsystem of a larger quantum system. Here, we define QEA as an intrinsic asymmetry in the entanglement properties of particle–antiparticle pairs in the early universe, leading to a preferential survival of matter over antimatter. We develop a theoretical framework incorporating QEA into the standard cosmological model, providing clear justification for the asymmetry in entangled states and corresponding modifications to the Hamiltonian. Numerical simulations using lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) demonstrate that QEA can produce a net baryon asymmetry consistent with observations. We also predict specific signatures in Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies and large-scale structure formation, offering potential avenues for empirical verification. This work aims to deepen the understanding of cosmological asymmetries and highlight the significance of quantum entanglement in the universe’s evolution. Full article

The violation of baryon number is an essential ingredient for baryogenesis—the preferential creation of matter over antimatter—needed to account for the observed baryon asymmetry in the universe. However, such a process has yet to be experimentally observed. The HIBEAM/NNBAR program is a proposed two-stage experiment at the European Spallation Source to search for baryon number violation. The program will include high-sensitivity searches for processes that violate baryon number by one or two units as follows: free neutron–antineutron oscillation via mixing, neutron–antineutron oscillation via regeneration from a sterile neutron state, and neutron disappearance; the effective process of neutron regeneration is also possible. The program can be used to discover and characterize mixing in the neutron, antineutron, and sterile neutron sectors. The experiment addresses topical open questions such as the origins of baryogenesis and the nature of dark matter, and it is sensitive to scales of new physics that substantially exceed those available at colliders. A goal of the program is to open a discovery window to neutron conversion probabilities (sensitivities) by up to three orders of magnitude compared with previous searches, which is a rare opportunity. A conceptual design report for NNBAR has recently been published. Full article

Family members who live with relatives with serious mental illness face unique mental health risks, which become worse with alcohol use and without social support. Research has highlighted the damaging effects of harmful substance use among people who feel like they do not matter to others, but few studies have assessed links between mattering and alcohol use within marginalized populations. In the present study, a sample of family members who reside with a relative with mental illness completed an online survey. Using the AUDIT alcohol screening measure, participants were classified into a No–Low Risk Alcohol Use (n = 52) or a Hazardous Drinking (n = 28) group. Hazardous alcohol use was alarmingly high, reaching triple the rate of the general population and categorized at the most severe level of harm. Those who drank hazardously felt like they mattered less to others (p < 0.001), felt like they mattered less to their relative with mental illness (p = 0.035), had greater anti-mattering (e.g., they felt invisible and unheard) (p = 0.008), experienced more hopelessness (p < 0.001), felt less supported by significant others (p = 0.003), endorsed having more problems with mental health services (p = 0.017), had higher stigma (p < 0.001), and had lower psychological well-being (p < 0.001). Findings highlight under-recognized public health risks, implications for public health initiatives, and the need for tailored interventions that boost mattering and reduce harmful alcohol use in this vulnerable family member population. Full article

The prevalence of poor mental health in university students is extremely concerning, and first-generation students (FGSs) may be more vulnerable to mental health problems than continuing-generation students (CGSs). Existing international research demonstrates that higher levels of mattering (how significant we feel we are to others) and lower levels of anti-mattering (how insignificant we feel we are to others) are associated with lower levels of mental health problems in university students, but this has not been investigated in the UK. This study aimed to investigate mental health problems and mattering in UK university students, comparing CGSs and FGSs. Students aged 18 or over from any university in the UK (N = 242; CGSs n = 124; FGSs n = 114) completed an online questionnaire containing measures of mental health problems (depression, eating concerns, substance use, generalised anxiety, frustration/anger, social anxiety, family distress, academic distress, total distress) and mattering (general mattering, anti-mattering, university mattering). The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in levels of mental health problems and mattering between CGSs and FGSs. However, mattering appears to matter more for FGSs than CGSs: higher levels of mattering (general and university) and lower levels of anti-mattering were statistically significantly associated with lower levels of mental health problems for all students, but particularly for FGSs. The implications of these results are that mattering has potential as a basis for strategies and interventions to improve mental health in university students. Universities must consider how to increase mattering in their students, and more research in this area is urgently required. Full article

This paper takes a political sociological look at the knee-taking in football (or soccer) inspired by the Black Lives Matter campaign. Based upon a study of the new elites, it explores the essence of this performative act and situates it within the ‘obsession’ with racism and anti-racism. Based less on the reality of the problem of racism than upon the emerging values of this new ‘class’, the celebration and promotion of taking the knee is understood as a new type of political etiquette that combines a sense of shame-awareness with a certain contempt for the ‘masses’ who attend football matches. The confusion about whether the support for Black Lives Matter was political or not is discussed with reference to the idea of the changed and to some extent incoherent nature of the modern elites whose values, it is suggested, are more a form of anti-matter than a clear projection of ideas and beliefs. As a result, the quasi-religious nature of the sentiment expressed in modern anti-racism and the action of taking the knee are considered in relation to the ideas of ‘raising awareness’ and of ‘educating yourself’, both of which have an implicitly elitist quality but also lack precision or clarity about either the problem being addressed or any solution to it. Often more therapeutic than overtly political, elite anti-racism is almost by necessity performative, but also comes with a disciplinary dimension for those who refuse to ‘take the knee’ to it. Ultimately, it is suggested that the contestation over the knee-taking gesture reflects a growing cultural divide between the disconnected globalist elites and the more grounded and situated masses who often opposed those who demand their acquiescence towards this performative form of anti-racism. Full article

The axion anti-quark nugget (A$\overline{\mathrm{Q}}$N) model was developed to explain in a natural way the asymmetry between matter and antimatter in Universe. In this hypothesis, a similitude between the dark and the visible components exists. The lack of observability of any type of dark matter up to now, in particular A$\overline{\mathrm{Q}}$Ns, requires finding new ways of detecting these particles, if they exist. In spite of strong interaction with visible matter, for such objects a very small ratio of cross section to mass is expected and thus huge detector systems are necessary. This paper presents a new idea for the direct detection of the A$\overline{\mathrm{Q}}$Ns using minerals as natural rock deposits acting as paleo-detectors, where the latent signals of luminescence produced by interactions of A$\overline{\mathrm{Q}}$Ns are registered and can be identified as an increased and symmetrical deposited dose. The estimates were made for minerals widely distributed on Earth, for which the thermoluminescence (TL) signal is intense and if the thermal conditions are constant and with low temperatures, the lifetime of the latent signals is kept for geological time scales. Full article

This review provides a succinct overview of the basic aspects of neutrino physics. The topics covered include neutrinos in the standard model and the three-neutrino mixing scheme; the current status of neutrino oscillation measurements and what remains to be determined; the seesaw mechanisms for neutrino mass generation and the associated phenomenology, including the leptogenesis mechanism to explain the observed matter–antimatter asymmetry of the Universe; and models for the origin of the pattern of neutrino mixing and lepton masses based on discrete flavour symmetries and modular invariance. Full article