For nearly a century, scientists have known that much of the universe’s matter is invisible, existing as mysterious dark matter that interacts with ordinary matter through gravity. However, it remains uncertain whether there are additional “dark forces” that can “communicate” with both dark and visible matter.
If such forces exist, they should also affect atoms, which modern technology allows scientists to study with extreme precision. “Measuring the shift in electronic resonances in isotopes is a particularly powerful method for shedding light on the interaction between nuclear and electron structure,” Tanja Mehlstäubler explains. Isotopes are different forms of the same element, distinguished only by variations in the number of neutrons in their nuclei.
A Surprising Discovery in Ytterbium Isotopes
In 2020, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) observed something unexpected while studying isotope shifts in the element ytterbium. Their measurements revealed a nonlinear deviation — a result that did not align with existing theories.
This finding sent shockwaves through the physics community. Could this anomaly be the first sign of a new “dark force,” or was it instead revealing previously unknown properties of atomic nuclei? Had atomic physicists inadvertently stepped into nuclear physics simply by comparing the transition frequencies of electrons in different isotopes?
High-Precision Measurements to Solve the Puzzle
Driven by this question, Tanja Mehlstäubler from PTB in Braunschweig and Klaus Blaum from MPIK in Heidelberg set out to investigate the ytterbium isotope shifts. Their research teams carried out high-precision measurements of atomic transition frequencies and isotope mass ratios of ytterbium isotopes. Linear high-frequency ion traps and ultra-stable laser systems were used for optical spectroscopy at PTB.
At MPIK, the isotope mass ratios were determined in the PENTATRAP Penning trap mass spectrometer. Both measurements were up to a hundred times more accurate than previous measurements of this kind.
Confirming the Anomaly and Redefining Limits
The researchers confirmed the anomaly, and the team was able to provide an explanation with the help of new nuclear theory calculations by Achim Schwenk’s group at TU Darmstadt. In collaboration with theoretical atomic physicists from MPIK in Heidelberg and the University of New South Wales in Sydney as well as particle physicists from Leibniz University Hannover, they were able to establish a new limit for the existence of dark forces.
New Insights into Atomic Nuclei and Neutron Stars
The international collaboration team was even able to use this data to obtain direct information about the deformation of the atomic nucleus along the ytterbium isotope chain. This can provide new insights into the structure of heavy atomic nuclei and into the physics of neutron-rich matter, which forms the basis for understanding neutron stars.
Bridging Atomic, Nuclear, and Particle Physics
This research opens up new opportunities for atomic, nuclear, and particle physics to collaborate in the search for new physics and to obtain a better understanding of the complex phenomena that determine the structure of matter.
Reference: “Probing New Bosons and Nuclear Structure with Ytterbium Isotope Shifts” by Menno Door, Chih-Han Yeh, Matthias Heinz, Fiona Kirk, Chunhai Lyu, Takayuki Miyagi, Julian C. Berengut, Jacek Bieroń, Klaus Blaum, Laura S. Dreissen, Sergey Eliseev, Pavel Filianin, Melina Filzinger, Elina Fuchs, Henning A. Fürst, Gediminas Gaigalas, Zoltán Harman, Jost Herkenhoff, Nils Huntemann, Christoph H. Keitel, Kathrin Kromer, Daniel Lange, Alexander Rischka, Christoph Schweiger, Achim Schwenk, Noritaka Shimizu and Tanja E. Mehlstäubler, 11 February 2025, Physical Review Letters.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.063002
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At MPIK, the isotope mass ratios were determined in the PENTATRAP Penning trap mass spectrometer. Both measurements were up to a hundred times more accurate than previous measurements of this kind.
GOOD.
Ask the researchers:
Is’ The Blind and the Elephant ‘just a fable?
Scientific research guided by correct theories can enable researchers to think more.
A topological vortex is a concept in physics that describes the natural gravitational field or the fluid-body coupled system. A topological vortex is formed by the interaction and balance of vortex and anti-vortex field pairs, which can be set into resonance by the body motion and interaction. Topological Vortex Theory (TVT) treats space as an ideal fluid, posits that the topological vortex gravitational field is fundamental to the structure of the universe, and emphasizes the importance of topological phase transitions in understanding mass, inertia, and energy.
According to the Topological Vortex Theory (TVT), spins create everything, spins shape the world. There are substantial distinctions between Topological Vortex Theory (TVT) and traditional physical theories. Grounded in the inviscid, incompressible, and isotropic spaces, TVT introduces the concept of topological phase transitions and employs topological principles to elucidate the formation and evolution of matter in the universe, as well as the impact of interactions between topological vortices and anti-vortices on spacetime dynamics and thermodynamics.
Within TVT, low-dimensional spacetime matter serves as the foundation for high-dimensional spacetime matter, and the hierarchical structure of matter and its interaction mechanisms challenge conventional macroscopic and microscopic interpretations. The conflict between Quantum Physics and Classical Physics can be attributed to their differing focuses: Quantum Physics emphasizes low-dimensional spacetime matter, whereas Classical Physics centers on high-dimensional spacetime matter.
Subatomic particles in the quantum world often defy the familiar rules of the physical world. The fact repeatedly suggests that the familiar rules of the physical world are pseudoscience. In the familiar rules of the physical world, two sets of cobalt-60 can form the mirror image of each other by rotating in opposite directions, and should receive the Nobel Prize for physics.
Some individuals, some AI, and some so-called peer review publications (including PRL, PNAS, Nature, Science, etc.) stubbornly believe that two sets of cobalt-60 can form the mirror image of each other by rotating in opposite directions, and believe that the Topological Vortex Theory (TVT) currently lacks validation.
Actually, vortex phenomena are ubiquitous in cosmic space, from vortices of quantum particles and living cells to tornados and black holes. The inviscid and incompressible spaces have been widely used in engineering simulation (https://scitechdaily.com/microscope-spacecrafts-most-precise-test-of-key-component-of-the-theory-of-general-relativity/#comment-870077). These all are the most powerful verification.
Ask some so-called peer review publications (including PRL, PNAS, Nature, Science, etc.):
1. Does space not exist?
2. Does time not exist?
3. Does the ideal fluid not exist?
4. Do scientific experiments require time and space?
5. Do certain engineering simulations require ideal fluids?
6. If non-existent things are applied to scientific experiments and engineering simulations, and good results can be achieved. So, what is the difference between the non-existent thing and God?
Some individuals and some so-called peer review publications (including PRL, PNAS, Nature, Science, etc.) have been misleading the public with confusing concepts (https://pic2.zhimg.com/v2-4127b0b58fe8b88feb27c189fb705029_1440w.jpg?source=172ae18b), unscientific logic and reasoning, and self righteous Impact Factor (IF), hindering the progress of science and technology. They hardly know what dirty and ugly are.
I’ve commented on the link between electron shells and nuclei shapes recently around here, where elemental lead effects and pure lead crystals are concerned. Elsewhere in the news I see that 3D quasicrystal solids are supposedly showing extradimensional behavior. That reminds me that the shift in scale between the spacing between nuclei and the size of the nuclei is large enough to function as a dimension-splitting property. All that is needed beyond that is a mechanism for nuclei to interact significantly independently of electrons, emergent on cooling, it seems. The possibility of marshalling quantized gravity flows is significant there, I suppose.
The newly reported 40% extra-hard diamond is a sort of “hyper-diamond” formed by a vertex-to-center doubling translation, I suppose. That’s not as complicated as a quasi-crystal, but more clearly to me it’s a kind of hyper-crystal (somewhat “extra-dimensional”). No obvious link to shapes of the nuclei, though. I guess making it involves a cooled process using graphite sheets.
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Lance Thomas Davidson already identifies with dark matter is and how it operates in the universe.
That SWAB guy has a new DM cluster picture. No distracting x-ray red. There’s no way to judge the depth variations in such DM cluster images, however. Not that it’ can’t be fixed, but the current product may involve foreground effect aliasing and arbitrary depth decisions. Biasing an AI running the lensing algorithm so that it avoids centering on visible masses seems to be a new thing.