Scientists are about to test Einstein’s gravity with exotic matter
Scientists have found a new way to create a controlled beam of muonium, an exotic atom containing a heavier cousin of the electron.
Scientists have found a new way to create a controlled beam of muonium, an exotic atom containing a heavier cousin of the electron.
The short version
- The advance could allow researchers to test for the first time whether gravity acts on second-generation particles exactly as Einstein’s theory predicts.
- Any unexpected difference would be a major surprise and could potentially point toward new physics, including a hypothetical fifth force.
- Does gravity affect every type of particle in exactly the same way?
What happened
Researchers at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen are preparing an experiment that could test that fundamental assumption using one of nature's more unusual particles. Physicists classify these particles as belonging to the first generation of matter.
Why it matters
Two additional generations also exist, made up of heavier particles.
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