LTU professor’s paper: something strange is going on in the realm of the quark

SOUTHFIELD-According to new data from some of the world's leading particle accelerators, something strange is going on with subatomic particles.

And a professor of physics at Lawrence Technological University has published an academic paper pointing it out.

The paper from LTU associate professor Bhubanjyoti Bhattacharya was published Nov. 21 in the highly regarded physics academic journal Physical Review Letters.

In it, Bhattacharya points out new data from particle accelerators in Japan shows an unexpected, higher level "flavor asymmetry" in the breakdown, or "decay," of tiny subatomic particles called mesons, which are made up of the tiniest known particles, called quarks.

There are six types of quarks identified by physicists, given the whimsical name "flavors." Two flavors of quarks are long-lived and found in everyday matter. The others are heavier and decay quickly, and are only detected in particle accelerators.

When a meson of the type Bhattacharya is studying breaks down, the heavier "bottom" quark is supposed to decay into longer-lived lighter quarks. Theoretical descriptions of these decays are expected to be the same regardless of which "flavor" of light quark the heavy quark decays into. In experiments, however, 20 to 30% deviation from this "flavor symmetry" has been observed.

Using the new data from Japan and improved theoretical modeling, though, Bhattacharya and his collaborators have found that this deviation is about 50 times larger than expected -- about 1,000 percent, not 20 to 30.

So what's going on?

"There are interactions that are not accounted for, that we don't have in our current Standard Model of Particle Physics," Bhattacharya said.

Like any good scientist, Bhattacharya says his analysis could be flawed, or there could be mistakes in the experiments that led to the new data. But for now, he said, interactions seem to be occurring that are not explained by current physics models, and further research is needed.

Bhattacharya noted that this is basic science at its most basic, exploring the interactions of the smallest known particles in the universe. But he said previous experiments in particle physics have led to practical applications in everything from medical imaging to cancer treatment to semiconductor manufacturing to environmental analysis.

"Eventually there will be practical applications of all of this," Bhattacharya said. "Understanding how nature works always helps us, eventually."

To view the full paper in Physical Review Letters Vol. 133, No. 21, visit https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.211802 .

Lawrence Technological University is one of only 13 independent, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932 and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU as part of its growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation's top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation's top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report list it in the top tier of the best Midwest colleges. And LTU is included in the Princeton Review's "The Best 390 Colleges 2025 Edition," a list of the nation's top 15 percent of colleges and universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, "theory and practice" education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech's 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

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