An as of yet unknown force has been discovered in MTA Atomki according to American physicists

An article published by Nature News on May 25, titled Hungarian physics lab found a fifth force of nature?, cites experiments conducted in MTA Atomki. Attila Krasznahorkay and his colleagues used an electron-positron spectrometer to detect the angle correlation of electron-positron pairs produced during high energy nucleus transitions. They found a deviation in contrast with their prognosis, which could not be explained by our current knowledge of nuclear physics. However, the results can be interpreted if the existence of a new, light-weight, neutral particle is hypothesized. The properties of this new particle are similar to the theoretically postulated dark photon. The concept of the dark photon had been introduced to describe the interactions between dark matter particles.

Electron-positron spectrometer Source: MTA Atomki

The Hungarian researchers’ experiments have aroused the interest of the international scientific community, including both theoretical and experimental researchers. However, their suspicion is that the experiments have not proven the existence of the dark photon, instead a fifth fundamental force has been discovered i.e. a fifth fundamental interaction in nature. (up until now, the four fundamental forces of nature known to physics were gravity, electromagnetism and strong and weak nuclear force)

The report caused quite a stir within the physicists’ community and independent experiments are to be conducted in renowned laboratories worldwide in order to replicate the experiments of MTA Atomki, Debrecen and to confirm or refute their observations.

Mr. Krasznahorkay told mta.hu that “the primary aim of the experiments was to find the conducting particle of dark matter, i.e. the dark photon. In fact, it has led to the discovery of the fifth force, namely the dark force, which leading particle physics laboratories all over the world are presently dedicating serious work to finding. In recent years, the theory of the existence of the dark photon has been developed in depth. This could be a particle with the same symmetry (U1) as a photon, the quantum of visible light, which relays electromagnetic force. However, if there are two particles with the same symmetry (U1) present in nature then, according to our theory, interaction between them should also be possible. The force of this interaction has been determined based on data gathered during earlier experiments (concerning the g–2 anomaly of the muon).”

However, the coupling constant of the particle discovered in Debrecen turned out to be only one-tenth of the value predicted in theory. It must be mentioned that the predicted range for coupling constants regarding dark photons was experimentally ruled out at the beginning of the year, however this discovery did not affect the particle discovered in Debrecen. A group of American theoretic physicists regarded this new, strange particle with a low coupling constant as a fifth force with special properties (seldom attaches to protons, i.e. protophobic). It was this detail that piqued the interest of Nature’s journalist.

“Naturally, our experiments will continue and we will make full use of the new electron-positron spectrometer at the new Tandetron accelerator in Atomki, Debrecen. The nucleus is a very special femto-laboratory and contains all known forces, which probably includes the newly discovered fifth force as well. For us this is a guarantee that we will be able to obtain further information regarding this new force”, added Mr. Krasznahorkay.