Chapter 156 The Culprit Behind the Mystery of the Proton Radius

Compared to the excitement and madness of the team members, Xu Chuan was much calmer.

This value was indeed beyond his expectations, and it could even be said to have created history.

But he had also experienced many ups and downs, so he was not as excited as other team members and shouted loudly.

Moreover, it was not certain whether the physics community would recognize the number of 0.831 femtometers.

The mystery of the proton's radius was not so easy to solve.

If it was in the mathematics community, when a problem had a solution and an answer, as long as the solution and answer were confirmed to be correct, then the problem could be declared completely solved.

But it was not the case in the physics community, at least not when facing such a controversial problem.

An answer calculated and verified by an experiment was not so safe and easy to convince people.

If the physics community wanted to fully accept this number, at least another completely different measurement method was needed to get the same, or very similar, number.

Two sets of experiments with completely different methods obtained the same set of data, and they needed to be able to replicate them, so as to ensure the accuracy of the proton's radius.

A single set of experiments could not explain anything.

But now, just like the madness of the team members, they have 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 is no problem with the data analysis, the radius of 0.831 femtometers will be locked on the hydrogen atom, and it may even become the universal radius in the future physics community.

After the excitement of the team members subsided, Xu Chuan began to rearrange the work.

They need to repeat the previous experimental analysis data to ensure that all the data are normal and there are no problems.

This is a very important step.

Only after repeated confirmation that there are no problems with these experimental analysis data will he announce it publicly. Otherwise, announcing a wrong data at the press conference will make them a joke.

The meticulous inspection work began. This time, Xu Chuan personally checked the overall analysis data.

Overall, there is no problem, but the scattering physics image analysis data of gravitons and protons proposed by Nanali Kessler attracted his attention.

In this analysis data, there is a data calculation that looks a bit "abnormal".

"When the electron beam contacts the hydrogen molecule cloud and is excited to the 3S state, the energy level data seems to exceed the previous experiments by a lot?"

In front of the display screen, Xu Chuan touched his chin and stared at the calculated data on it.

After rebirth, his sensitivity to various numbers seems to have increased a lot, and he found the problem in this calculated data at a glance.

After thinking for a while, Xu Chuan opened his notebook and turned over the previous proton radius measurement experimental data from the computer.

A simple comparison shows that, as expected, the energy level data of this acceleration experiment is 1.7 higher when the electron beam contacts the hydrogen molecule cloud and is excited to the 3S state.

This value is not very large, but it will definitely affect the final proton radius value.

"Is there a situation?"

A question mark floated in his mind, Xu Chuan found the original data and began to analyze it himself.

It doesn't take much time 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 is no problem with Nanali Kessler's work, and the analyzed data is exactly the same as his repeated verification.

"It's strange. Why is the energy level of the electron beam in this collision experiment 1.7 energy levels higher than that of the historical collision experiment when it contacts the hydrogen molecule cloud and excites it to the 3S state?"

"Is it affected by something?"

After analyzing three historical experimental data and four current experimental data, Xu Chuan confirmed that there is a difference in this value.

The energy level of the electron beam when it contacts the hydrogen molecule cloud and excites it to the 3S state is 1.7~1.8 energy levels higher than that of the historical collision experiment.

Although this difference is not very large, it does exist, and when it is brought into the 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 of the metal container on the collision of electrons and hydrogen atoms?"

At the first moment, 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 he used CERN's more advanced proton accelerator to cancel the metal container used to store hydrogen atom clouds and directly introduced the hydrogen atom clouds into the accelerator's observation pipeline.

After all, high-energy electron beams will react with metal atoms after entering metal, and their scattering will cause certain interference to the experimental data.

However, judging from previous experimental data, this interference is not very strong, so previous experiments almost ignored this interference.

But now, the keen scientific research intuition and data intuition told Xu Chuan that perhaps this part of the scattering interference is stronger than the previous cognition of the physics community.

He may have accidentally found the mystery of the proton radius. Why is the proton radius obtained by the traditional electron proton scattering atomic charge radius experiment always 0.87 femtometers?

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 through metal containers, which may really have some problems.

However, to be sure, we need to use data to speak.

This is not very difficult for him. It can be done through the data of this atomic charge radius experiment and another data called "hydrogen-like atom energy spectrum measurement experiment".

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 community, can be solved.

After taking a deep breath and suppressing his heart that was beating hotly, Xu Chuan once again carefully calculated the data in his hand.

There is no problem with the calculation. From the eight data he has analyzed, when the electron beam contacts the hydrogen molecular cloud and excites it to the 3S state, the energy level is indeed 1.7-1.8 energy levels higher than the historical collision experiment.

This is either the scattering interference caused by the test of hydrogen atom cloud in a metal container, or it is very likely that this is the reason why the proton charge radius deviates and the two groups have huge differences in values.

After finding the possible cause of the problem, the rest is to use data to prove it.

However, this is not the most important thing at present.

What he has to do now is to complete the inspection of the atomic charge radius experimental data.

Then submit the acceptance report to CERN.

This is what should be done now.

As for the reason just found, it doesn’t matter if it is done after the report is submitted.

At CERN, it is necessary to apply in advance for a press conference.

For example, this kind of application for completing the experiment and submitting the acceptance report needs to be applied at least three days in advance.

So that CERN can leave enough time to arrange the "acceptor" and publish the lecture information at the same time, so that physicists who are interested in this can come to listen.

After confirming that there is no problem with the experimental analysis data this time and confirming that the calculated proton radius data is accurate, Xu Chuan submitted an application to CERN for a press conference.

After submitting the application materials, the CERN review team completed the review on the morning of the next day and arranged the press conference three days later.

As for the three days, Xu Chuan needs to prepare the report materials, think about how to deal with various problems that may arise at the report meeting, and dig into the data of historical atomic charge radius experiments to confirm whether the metal container causes scattering interference to the high-energy electron beam and whether it will cause a large enough deviation in the radius of the proton.

This is his time and task arrangement for the three days.

But before that, he has 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 until now. He has been staying in the hotel waiting for his experiment to be completed.

With the printed materials, Xu Chuan took the elevator to the third floor.

Witten lives here.

After knocking on the door, a voice of "Come in" came from inside. Xu Chuan pushed the door open and walked in. In the room, Witten was sitting at a wooden table and communicating with another old man.

Hearing the movement, Witten and the old man looked up at the same time.

"Teacher."

Xu Chuan shouted, and then greeted the old man next to him: "Hello, Professor Frank."

"Do you know me?" Frank Wilczek asked curiously at the wooden table.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, "Your outstanding achievements in quark particle theory and strong interaction theory are well known to the world."

"I have read your books such as "The Lightness of Being" and "Wonderful Reality: The Real and Wonderful World of Physics."

Frank Wilczek smiled and said, "That's just something for ordinary people to read. Excellent young people like you should learn from top journals or papers."

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled.

This is probably one of the biggest hobbies of the old professor in his life.

He likes to communicate with other scholars and likes to guide others, especially young scholars. This makes him have many friends, but many people also hate him for this, thinking that he likes to teach others.

But overall, most people will think seriously about the advice of a Nobel Prize winner.

In addition, another hobby of this old professor is to publish books.

He has written many popular science books on physics, such as "The Lightness of Being", "Wonderful Reality: The Real and Wonderful World of Physics", "The Question of Beauty: The Grand Design of Everything in the Universe", "The Principle of Everything", etc. He is an outstanding popular science writer.

After greeting Wilczek, Xu Chuan took the backpack from behind, pulled out a stack of printed paper from it, and handed it to his mentor Witten.

"Teacher, the data of the proton radius mystery experiment has been analyzed. We have obtained a new proton radius value, and it is smaller than the previous proton radius."

"New proton radius data?"

Hearing Xu Chuan's words, Edward Witten raised his eyebrows and took the file from Xu Chuan curiously.

"0.831×10-15m±0.0016 femtometers."

"It is indeed completely different from the previous measurement data, but the method used by CERN this time seems to be different from the previous measurement method. Did you design and improve it?"

Flipping through the information in his hand, Witten raised his head and asked with interest.

Compared to a brand new proton radius, he was more interested in the improved measurement method used by CERN this time.

Xu Chuan nodded and said: "It is true that some experimental steps have been optimized. In theory, the metal container used in the original method will cause certain interference to the collision of electrons and hydrogen atoms, which will cause distortion of the observed data."

"So on this basis, I asked the CERN 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 has great limitations. It requires a more powerful accelerator to complete it."

Witten thought for a while and said: "Doing so can indeed optimize the entire experimental process, but in theory, the degree of optimization should not reach the point of further reducing the radius of the proton. Are there any other improvements in your experiment?"

Xu Chuan shook his head and said: "No, the further reduction of the proton radius may indeed be related to the method used in this acceleration experiment."

Hearing this, Witten 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 took out a stack of manuscript paper from his backpack again and handed it over: "This is my new discovery yesterday."

"After optimizing and improving the atomic charge radius experiment and removing the use of metal containers as the experimental device for hydrogen atom clouds, I found that when the high-energy electron beam contacts the hydrogen molecule cloud and is excited to the 3S state, the energy level data is about 1.7~1.8 higher than the atomic charge radius experiment energy level of other laboratories."

"And I just happened to have the data of the 'traditional electron proton scattering atomic charge radius experiment' and the 'energy spectrum measurement experiment of hydrogen-like atoms' downloaded when I did data analysis before."

"Through preliminary analysis, I found that the 'traditional electron proton scattering atomic charge radius experiment' almost all used metal containers as the experimental device 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 cognition."

"Perhaps, this problem is the culprit for the mystery of the proton radius."

Xu Chuan briefly described his thoughts and discoveries, and then waited quietly.

After Wei Teng took out the manuscript, he began to read it carefully.

After a while, he suddenly looked up and said, "Please give me paper and pen."

He was attracted by Xu Chuan's calculations and discoveries. Judging from the analytical data on the manuscript, the answer might really be this.