Axion Discovered
Researchers may have discovered the elusive, exotic and elementary axion after a search that lasted decades. The tiny, very low mass particle with no charge was first theorized to exist by the Peccei-Quinn theory in 1977, in order to solve the strong CP (charge conjugation and parity) problem that occurs in quantum chromodynamics (QCD). QCD appears to not violate the CP-symmetry, a conundrum, as CP violation is required to explain why matter is dominant in our universe.
The potential find of the axion, suggests that the rather big unsolved mystery of matter-antimatter imbalance may be closer to resolution. (The axion is also necessary for string theory.) With the Big Bang, the universe should have been started with equal parts matter and antimatter -- with the laws of physics being the same for both. This should have led to the complete annihilation of the universe, as matter and antimatter in equal parts would have destroyed each other, producing photons. Since our universe of matter exists, something must have happened at the Big Bang to violate CP symmetry. With axions in the QCD Lagrangian, CP symmetry is violated and all is right with the universe.
Axions also go some lengths in helping with the problem of dark matter. The Big Bang should have created axions in abundance -- which may still be around with us today, and depending on their mass, could make up the bulk of the universe we can't see. Interestingly enough, axions should also be able to morph to photons within a magnetic field, making it possible for us to detect them.
The potential find of the axion, suggests that the rather big unsolved mystery of matter-antimatter imbalance may be closer to resolution. (The axion is also necessary for string theory.) With the Big Bang, the universe should have been started with equal parts matter and antimatter -- with the laws of physics being the same for both. This should have led to the complete annihilation of the universe, as matter and antimatter in equal parts would have destroyed each other, producing photons. Since our universe of matter exists, something must have happened at the Big Bang to violate CP symmetry. With axions in the QCD Lagrangian, CP symmetry is violated and all is right with the universe.
Axions also go some lengths in helping with the problem of dark matter. The Big Bang should have created axions in abundance -- which may still be around with us today, and depending on their mass, could make up the bulk of the universe we can't see. Interestingly enough, axions should also be able to morph to photons within a magnetic field, making it possible for us to detect them.
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