Search Results (31)

Ultracold neutrons (UCNs) are free neutrons with kinetic energies so low that their equivalent thermal temperature lies below 3.5 mK (below 3 × 10⁻⁷ eV). At these extreme energies, neutrons exhibit de Broglie wavelengths on the order of hundreds of angstroms and move slowly enough to be confined in material, magnetic, and gravitational traps through total internal reflection. For context, this is about three orders of magnitude colder than the 1 K regime used in superfluid helium UCN sources, which underscores why these neutrons are called “ultracold”: their equivalent thermal energy is comparable to millikelvin physics, even though UCN sources themselves typically operate at 0.8–5 K and produce UCN through superthermal downscattering rather than thermal equilibrium. Over the past several decades, substantial progress in ultracold-neutron source technology has been achieved through the transition from mechanical neutron turbines to superthermal converters based on solid deuterium and superfluid helium. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of modern reactor-based (ILL, PNPI, TRIGA) and spallation-driven (PSI, TRIUMF, SNS, ESS) UCN sources, together with next-generation facilities targeting UCN densities of 10³–10⁴ cm⁻³. Particular attention is devoted to anomalous neutron losses during storage. It is shown that hydrogen-containing surface contaminants, inelastic scattering processes, and wall-induced depolarization contribute significantly to losses beyond those predicted for ideal materials. Current approaches for loss reduction are discussed, including diamond-like carbon coatings, magnetron sputtering techniques, optimization of the ortho–para ratio in neutron converters, and purification of superfluid ⁴He from trace concentrations of ³He impurities. The review further examines key precision experiments that drive advances in UCN technology, including investigations of the neutron lifetime discrepancy and searches for the neutron electric dipole moment at sensitivities approaching 10⁻²⁷–10⁻²⁸ e·cm as probes of CP violation and baryon asymmetry of the Universe. Finally, future directions for increasing UCN density, extending storage times, and enhancing the sensitivity of fundamental physics experiments are discussed. Full article

The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics is one of the most successful frameworks in modern physics, yet it leaves several fundamental questions unanswered, including the nature of dark matter (DM). Precise knowledge of DM is crucial for testing astrophysical and cosmological observations and for determining the matter density of our Universe. Many hidden dark sector models beyond the SM open the possibility of coupling between DM and SM particles via various portals. The corresponding new physics particles include light Higgs bosons, dark photons, axion-like particle, and spin-1/2 fermions. Furthermore, the introduction of a dark baryon could simultaneously explain the origin of DM and the observed matter–antimatter asymmetry in the Universe. If these hypothetical particles have masses of a few GeV, they can be explored at high-intensity $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ colliders, such as in the BaBar, Belle/Belle II, and BESIII experiments. This report reviews the current status of DM searches at $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ colliders, with a focus on portal-based scenarios. Full article

We analytically investigate the charge parity (CP) violation, neutrino masses, and leptogenesis in the Standard Model (SM) with an extension to Dirac neutrinos, building on our previous quark sector analysis. Using systematic top-down diagonalization of fermion mass matrices and experimental neutrino mass-squared differences, we predict the complete neutrino mass spectrum and assess leptogenesis viability. We find that our analysis yields specific mass predictions: $m_h\approx 5.01\times {10}^{-2}$ eV, $m_l\approx 6.09\times {10}^{-3}$ eV, and a bimodal middle mass ($m_m\approx 4.97\times {10}^{-2}$ eV for inverted ordering, $m_m\approx 1.05\times {10}^{-2}$ eV for normal ordering). Four viable scenarios emerge with parameter constraints ranging from highly restrictive ($1<g<1.01512$) to moderately broad ($1<g<5.9$). Crucially, Dirac neutrino leptogenesis is about 71 orders of magnitude weaker than baryogenesis, indicating that Standard Model leptogenesis is negligible and Beyond Standard Model physics is needed for significant leptogenesis contributions. CP violation emerges through $S_N$ symmetry breaking, with mass degeneracies controlled by model parameters. Remarkably, while mass-squared differences are small, individual neutrino masses can be significantly larger, potentially addressing dark matter mass requirements and enhancing cosmological significance. This work provides testable predictions for neutrino experiments and establishes a unified analytical approach to CP violation across fermion sectors. 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

This article is a shortened review of previous results obtained by the author. The advantages of describing the geometric nature of the physical properties of the early universe using the Clifford algebra approach are demonstrated. A geometric representation of the wave function of the early universe is used, and a new mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking with different degrees of freedom is proposed. A possible supersymmetry is revealed, and it is shown that the energy of the initial vacuum can be considered equal to zero. The origin of baryonic asymmetry and the nature of dark matter can be explained using a geometric representation of the wave function of the early universe. Full article

The lack of positive evidence for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) as well as the lack of discovery of supersymmetric (SUSY) particles at the LHC may appeal to a non-supersymmetric solution for the Standard Model problem of the Higgs boson mass divergence, the origin of the electroweak energy scale and the physical nature of the cosmological dark matter in the approach of composite Higgs boson. If the Higgs boson consists of charged constituents, their binding can lead to stable particles with electroweak charges. Such particles can take part in sphaleron transitions in the early Universe, which balance their excess with baryon asymmetry. Constraints on exotic charged species leave only stable particles with charge $-2n$ possible, which can bind with n nuclei of primordial helium in neutral dark atoms. The predicted ratio of densities of dark atoms and baryonic matter determines the condition for dark atoms to dominate in the cosmological dark matter. To satisfy this condition of the dark-atom nature of the observed dark matter, the mass of new stable $-2n$ charged particles should be within reach of the LHC for their searches. We discuss the possibilities of dark-atom binding in multi-atom systems and present state-of-the-art quantum mechanical descriptions of dark-atom interactions with nuclei. Annual modulations in such interactions with nuclei of underground detectors can explain the positive results of DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA experiments and the negative results of the underground WIMP searches. Full article

At least two relics of the Big Bang have survived: the cosmological microwave background (CMB) and the cosmological neutrino background (C$\nu$B). Being the second most abundant particle in the universe, the neutrino has a significant impact on its evolution from the Big Bang to the present day. Neutrinos affect the following cosmological processes: the expansion rate of the universe, its chemical and isotopic composition, the CMB anisotropy and the formation of the large-scale structure of the universe. Another relic neutrino background is theoretically predicted, it consists of non-equilibrium antineutrinos of Primordial Nucleosynthesis arising as a result of the decay of neutrons and tritium nuclei. Such antineutrinos are an indicator of the baryon asymmetry of the universe. In addition to experimentally detectable active neutrinos, the existence of sterile neutrinos is theoretically predicted to generate neutrino masses and explain their oscillations. Sterile neutrinos can also solve such cosmological problems as the baryonic asymmetry of the universe and the nature of dark matter. The recent results of several independent experiments point to the possibility of the existence of a light sterile neutrino. However, the existence of such a neutrino is inconsistent with the predictions of the Standard Cosmological Model. The inclusion of a non-zero lepton asymmetry of the universe and/or increasing the energy density of active neutrinos can eliminate these contradictions and reconcile the possible existence of sterile neutrinos with Primordial Nucleosynthesis, the CMB anisotropy, and also reduce the H₀-tension. In this brief review, we discuss the influence of the physical properties of active and sterile neutrinos on the evolution of the universe from the Big Bang to the present day. Full article

New heavy particles with electroweak charges arise in extensions of the standard model. They should take part in sphaleron transitions in the early Universe, which balance baryon asymmetry with the excess of new charged particles. If electrically charged with charge $-2n$, they bind with n nuclei of primordial helium in dark atoms of dark matter. This makes it possible to find the ratio of densities of asymmetric dark matter and baryonic matter. Examples of the model with new, successive, and stable generation of quarks and leptons and the minimal walking technicolor model are considered. Full article

We solve the particle-antiparticle and cosmological constant problems proceeding from quantum theory, which postulates that: various states of the system under consideration are elements of a Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$ with a positive definite metric; each physical quantity is defined by a self-adjoint operator in $\mathcal{H}$; symmetry at the quantum level is defined by a representation of a real Lie algebra A in $\mathcal{H}$ such that the representation operator of any basis element of A is self-adjoint. These conditions guarantee the probabilistic interpretation of quantum theory. We explain that in the approaches to solving these problems that are described in the literature, not all of these conditions have been met. We argue that fundamental objects in particle theory are not elementary particles and antiparticles but objects described by irreducible representations (IRs) of the de Sitter (dS) algebra. One might ask why, then, experimental data give the impression that particles and antiparticles are fundamental and there are conserved additive quantum numbers (electric charge, baryon quantum number and others). The reason is that, at the present stage of the universe, the contraction parameter R from the dS to the Poincare algebra is very large and, in the formal limit $R\to \infty$, one IR of the dS algebra splits into two IRs of the Poincare algebra corresponding to a particle and its antiparticle with the same masses. The problem of why the quantities $(c,\hslash ,R)$ are as are does not arise because they are contraction parameters for transitions from more general Lie algebras to less general ones. Then the baryon asymmetry of the universe problem does not arise. At the present stage of the universe, the phenomenon of cosmological acceleration (PCA) is described without uncertainties as an inevitable kinematical consequence of quantum theory in semiclassical approximation. In particular, it is not necessary to involve dark energy the physical meaning of which is a mystery. In our approach, background space and its geometry are not used and R has nothing to do with the radius of dS space. In semiclassical approximation, the results for the PCA are the same as in General Relativity if $\mathsf{\Lambda }=3/R^2$, i.e., $\mathsf{\Lambda }>0$ and there is no freedom for choosing the value of $\mathsf{\Lambda }$. Full article

In this review article, we revisit the topic of baryogenesis, which is the physical process that generated the observed baryon asymmetry during the first stages of the primordial Universe. A viable theoretical explanation to understand and investigate the mechanisms underlying baryogenesis must always ensure that the Sakharov criteria are fulfilled. These essentially state the following: (i) baryon number violation; (ii) the violation of both C (charge conjugation symmetry) and CP (the composition of parity and C); (iii) and the departure from equilibrium. Throughout the years, various mechanisms have been proposed to address this issue, and here we review two of the most important, namely, electroweak baryogenesis (EWB) and Grand Unification Theories (GUTs) baryogenesis. Furthermore, we briefly explore how a change in the theory of gravity affects the EWB and GUT baryogenesis by considering Scalar–Tensor Theories (STT), where the inclusion of a scalar field mediates the gravitational interaction, in addition to the metric tensor field. We consider specific STT toy models and show that a modification of the underlying gravitational theory implies a change in the time–temperature relation of the evolving cosmological model, thus altering the conditions that govern the interplay between the rates of the interactions generating baryon asymmetry, and the expansion rate of the Universe. Therefore, the equilibrium of the former does not exactly occur as in the general relativistic standard model, and there are consequences for the baryogenesis mechanisms that have been devised. This is representative of the type of modifications of the baryogenesis processes that are to be found when considering extended theories of gravity. Full article

Our universe consists mainly of regular matter, while the amount of antimatter seems to be negligible. The origin of this difference, known as the baryon asymmetry, remains undiscovered. Since the discovery of antimatter, many experiments have been carried out to study antiparticles and to compare matter and antimatter twins. Two of the most sensitive methods in physics, radiofrequency and optical spectroscopy, can be efficiently used to search for the difference. The successful synthesis and trapping of cold antihydrogen atoms opened the possibility of significantly increasing the sensitivity of matter/antimatter tests. This brief review focuses on a hydrogen/antihydrogen comparison using other independent spectroscopic measurements of single particles in traps and other simple atomic systems like positronium. Although no significant difference is detected in today’s level of accuracy, one can push forward the sensitivity by improving the accuracy of 1S–2S positronium spectroscopy, spectroscopy of hyperfine transition in antihydrogen, and gravitational measurements. Full article

We offer a survey of the matter-antimatter evolution within the primordial Universe. While the origin of the tiny matter-antimatter asymmetry has remained one of the big questions in modern cosmology, antimatter itself has played a large role for much of the Universe’s early history. In our study of the evolution of the Universe we adopt the position of the standard model Lambda-CDM Universe implementing the known baryonic asymmetry. We present the composition of the Universe across its temperature history while emphasizing the epochs where antimatter content is essential to our understanding. Special topics we address include the heavy quarks in quark-gluon plasma (QGP), the creation of matter from QGP, the free-streaming of the neutrinos, the vanishing of the muons, the magnetism in the electron-positron cosmos, and a better understanding of the environment of the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) producing the light elements. We suggest but do not explore further that the methods used in exploring the early Universe may also provide new insights in the study of exotic stellar cores, magnetars, as well as gamma-ray burst (GRB) events. We describe future investigations required in pushing known physics to its extremes in the unique laboratory of the matter-antimatter early Universe. Full article

The violation of charge-parity symmetry and the baryon asymmetry of the universe are two of the most significant unresolved problems in physics. This article presents further research on the CP violation problem in the Standard Model with 32 candidate sets of the 10 “natural” parameters that exhibit the same Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa performance. These parameters are considered “natural” because they consist solely of the Yukawa couplings and the vacuum expectation value of the unique Higgs doublet in the Standard Model. Then, the problems of CP violation and the baryon asymmetry of the universe are investigated by using the Jarlskog measure of CP violation, ${\Delta }_{CP}=J(m_t^2-m_c^2)(m_t^2-m_u^2)(m_c^2-m_u^2)(m_b^2-m_s^2)(m_b^2-m_d^2)(m_s^2-m_d^2)/T^{12}$, given that CP symmetry is violated following the breakdown of $S_N$ symmetries. Subsequently, numerical tests are performed in a simplified scenario where eight of the ten parameters are assumed to be fixed by two assumptions, and the remaining two parameters are allowed to vary from the $S_2$-symmetric point $(\mathbf{x},\mathbf{y})=(-1,1)$ to their current values in all 32 parameter sets. To estimate the enhancement of CP violation in such processes, a ratio $R_{\Delta }\equiv {\Delta }_{CP}/{\Delta }_{CP}^{\left(0\right)}$ is proposed between the running ${\Delta }_{CP}$ and its current value, denoted by ${\Delta }_{CP}^{\left(0\right)}$, which is approximately ${10}^{-20}$. In all 32 cases, the three-dimensional plots of $R_{\Delta }$ exhibit many regions that stick out of the $R_{\Delta }={10}^{10}$ plane, especially in regions very close to $(\mathbf{x},\mathbf{y})=(-1,1)$. These results demonstrate that the $S_N$-breaking Standard Model is already sufficient to violate CP symmetry explicitly and generate a significant amount of baryon asymmetry of the universe. Furthermore, it solves existing problems without creating new ones, at least in the scenario presented in this article. Full article

In this paper, we study the matter–antimatter imbalance in the universe through baryogenesis (also known as baryosynthesis), which is a physical process that took off just a little while after the big bang explosion, producing a supremacy of matter over antimatter. In this work, we commit the reproduction of the baryon to entropy ratio ($\frac{{\eta }_{{}_B}}{S}=\frac{{\eta }_{{}_{\beta }}-{\eta }_{\overline{{}_{\beta }}}}{S}$), where ${\eta }_{{}_{\beta }}\left({\eta }_{\overline{{}_{\beta }}}\right)$ is a baryon(anti-baryon) number and S is the entropy of the universe in the presence of modified Hořava-Lifshitz $F\left(R\right)$ gravity, which is also called $F\left(\tilde{R}\right)$-gravity. We inspect different baryogenesis interactions proportional to $\tilde{R}$ (where $\tilde{R}$ is the argument of general function F used for the development of modified Hořava-Lifshitz gravity). For this study, we examine two models by choosing different values of $F\left(\tilde{R}\right)$. In the first model, the functional value of $F\left(\tilde{R}\right)=\tilde{R}+\alpha {\tilde{R}}^2$ (where $\alpha$ is a real constant). The second model is more generalized and extended as compare to first one. Mathematically, this model is given by $F\left(\tilde{R}\right)=\tilde{R}+\alpha {\tilde{R}}^2+\beta {\tilde{R}}^m$, where $\alpha$, $\beta$ are real constants and $m>2$ is a real model parameter. Our results for both models and different values of m point out that matter-antimatter asymmetry does not vanish under the effect of the modified Hořava-Lifshitz theory of gravity, which shows a consistent and compatible fact of gravitational baryogenesis with recent observational data. Full article