Researchers used a section of the LHC’s beam pipe to hunt for magnetic monopoles, hypothetical particles with a single magnetic pole.
Their investigation, which involved analyzing radiation effects from ultra-high-energy ion collisions, revealed no monopoles but established stringent constraints on their existence, enhancing our understanding of particle physics.
Magnetic Monopole Research
New research using a decommissioned section of the beam pipe from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN has bought scientists closer than ever before to test whether magnetic monopoles exist.
Scientists from the University of Nottingham, in collaboration with an international team have revealed the most stringent constraints yet on the existence of magnetic monopoles, pushing the boundaries of what is known about these elusive particles. Their research has been published on August 15 in Physical Review Letters.
Theoretical Foundations and Study Focus
In particle physics, a magnetic monopole is a hypothetical elementary particle that is an isolated magnet with only one magnetic pole (a north pole without a south pole or vice versa).
Oliver Gould, Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow at the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nottingham is the lead theorist for the study, he said: “Could there be particles with only a single magnetic pole, either north or south? This intriguing possibility, championed by renowned physicists Pierre Curie, Paul Dirac, and Joseph Polchinski, has remained one of the most captivating mysteries in theoretical physics. Confirming their existence would be transformative for physics, yet to date experimental searches have come up empty-handed.”
Experimental Setup and Methodology
The team focused their search on a decommissioned section of the beam pipe from the LHC at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. Conducted by physicists from the Monopole and Exotics Detector at the LHC (MoEDAL) experiment, the study examined a beryllium beam pipe section that had been located at the particle collision point for the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment. This pipe had endured radiation from billions of ultra-high-energy ion collisions occurring just centimeters away.
“The proximity of the beam pipe to the collision point of ultra-relativistic heavy ions provides a unique opportunity to probe monopoles with unprecedentedly high magnetic charges,” explained Aditya Upreti, a Ph.D. candidate who led the experimental analysis while working in Professor Ostrovskiy’s MoEDAL group at the University of Alabama. “Since magnetic charge is conserved, the monopoles cannot decay and are expected to get trapped by the pipe’s material, which allows us to reliably search for them with a device directly sensitive to magnetic charge.”
Results and Future Directions
The researchers investigated the production of magnetic monopoles during heavy ion collisions at the LHC, which generated magnetic fields even stronger than those of rapidly spinning neutron stars. Such intense fields could lead to the spontaneous creation of magnetic monopoles through the Schwinger mechanism.
Oliver added: “Despite being an old piece of pipe destined for disposal, our predictions indicated it might be the most promising place on Earth to find a magnetic monopole,”
The MoEDAL collaboration used a superconductive magnetometer to scan the beam pipe for signatures of trapped magnetic charge. Although they found no evidence of magnetic monopoles, their results exclude the existence of monopoles lighter than 80 GeV/c² (where c is the speed of light) and provide the world-leading constraints for magnetic charges ranging from 2 to 45 base units.
The research team now plans to extend their search, Oliver concludes: “The beam pipe that we used was from the first run of the Large Hadron Collider, which was carried out before 2013 and at lower energies. Extending the study to a more recent run at higher energies could double our experimental reach. We are also now considering completely different search strategies for magnetic monopoles.”
Reference: “MoEDAL Search in the CMS Beam Pipe for Magnetic Monopoles Produced via the Schwinger Effect” by 15 August 2024, Physical Review Letters.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.071803
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8 Comments
Keep it up.
Please ask researchers to think deeply:
1. Is the so-called monopole spherical or planar?
2. How are the dimensions of unipolar and bipolar defined?
and so on.
Scientific research guided by correct theories can help humanity avoid detours, failures, and pomposity. Please witness the exemplary collaboration between theoretical physicists and experimentalists (https://scitechdaily.com/microscope-spacecrafts-most-precise-test-of-key-component-of-the-theory-of-general-relativity/#comment-854286). Some people in contemporary physics has always lived in a self righteous children’s story world. Whose values have been overturned by such a comical and ridiculous reality? CP violation opened the dirtiest and ugliest era in the history of physics.
Space has physical properties of zero viscosity and absolute incompressibility. Zero viscosity and absolute incompressibility are physical characteristics of ideal fluids. The space with ideal fluid physical characteristics forms vortices via topological phase transitions, which is not difficult to understand mathematically. Once the topological vortex is formed, it occupies space and maintains its presence in time. This is the transition from chaos to order via two bidirectional coupled continuous chaotic systems.
Each topological vortex is a natural gravitational field. According to the topological vortex gravitational field theory, the disco party between topological vortices and their twin antivortices has no tiniest disco, only smaller ones. Topological vortices either exist or do not exist. If topological vortices exist, their fractal structure is influenced by environmental factors, theoretically there is no minimum, only smaller, and similarly there is no maximum, only larger.
Symmetry of topological vortex can be used to explore particle behavior under spatial, temporal, and quantum number reversals, involving quantum gravity, discrete and continuous changes. It underpins the consistency of natural laws and experiment reproducibility. The perpetually swirling topological vortices defy traditional physics’ expectations, heavily influencing traditional physics theories and potentially unveiling new particles and forces.
Magnetic monopoles aren’t real. They are a reach of unproven theory, but the nice part about this technique is that it’s relatively cheap to repurpose this pipe to at least check.the box eliminating such things from further hypothetical nonsense.
After chasing supersymmetey for 5 decade, and wasting billions to do so, at least the Higgs Boson and other boundaries like this help justify that boondoggle.
When physics no longer believes in mathematics, such as no longer believes the scientific validity of low dimensional spacetime topological shapes. It can only dig holes everywhere or search for their ‘God’ in collisions.
Nonsense .cern is not a science but some witches craft .don’t trust ever modern news ask to prove it bot with words .
I saw a demo of a matrix grid of small magnets. Flipping one magnet in the grid created a place in the grid where there was a strong North pole, and no South pole. Well, not quite. For every North pole created by flipping a magnet in the matrix grid, a South pole was created somewhere else in the grid. So, the paring of North and South poles can be separated in a grid matrix like this to create North monopoles, and South monopoles. However within the grid of magnets, for every North monopole created, there was a South monopile created somewhere else in the grid. So, considering the grid of magnets as a whole, there are no monopoles. But zooming in to the grid, monopoles can be seen. Maybe monopoles are not a particle, but a virtual particle? It arises out of a missing, or misplaced particle in a grid matrix?
Every human being has an inmate magnetic field that exists at the very moment of conception. Now if scientists would just focus on the incredible explosion that takes place in the that moment . Where the Eternal now co exists in Time/Space. When the cells divide and are yet contained in such away as to bring about conscious life. Entering into the eternal, external , time/space continuum. Never to not ” Be” again. Because energy does not ever cease to ” Be ” as 13 all know. Yet we a newly autonomous “battery,” for lack of a better term at this moment. What is it that sustains it’s ” energy field” and allows it to grow. Not lineally but like an energy field grows. Simply and solely ” spherically” . Contained, yet not contained. Imbued with intellect, Will, imagination, and memory, and so much more .
Yet for this argument . I will focused on these 4 major functions. The anima of the human. Okay off the hop, I am quite sure that no one will accuse me of being a scientist , lol.
To tell the truth In am really nothing more than a deep thinking, truth seeking, artistic, dot connecting individual, with a quasi identic memory , at least I used to have, imaginative person who destroys many of the walls of perception, that have erroneously been placed in the minds of the collective,. Be they intentional or otherwise. I believe in n an all powerful, omnipotent, intellectual designer of all things seen and unseen, perceived and unit perceived”Yet.”The uncaused cause. That in all truth. At least as far as I can perceive, allows for almost all possibilities. ” Maybe?” Okay. Back to the question on monopole magnetism. Is it possible. Indeed.
This is where it gets tricky. Tricky because I have an equation. I believe is so very important. Comically important. Quite difficult to wrap ones mind around. Yet of utter simplicity all at the same time.
It resides within quantum entanglement. It cannot exist without it. For it to work or be umm …. Hmm finding the words are also difficult for me, because, as of yet they have not been brought into existence. At least as far as I know. Conceived? Yes? Not physically. But definitely in my mind, which pre- supposes, that it ( the “equation” that is…. Has always and eternally existed in the mind of the “I am”. For all eternity. ” Now!!” A perfect conception. Within the “Eternal now” and as of yet not in the time/space, nor the mind of man. Untill…. About 2 weeks ago. In my mind either a happy accident, a illusion, or……. Right?
I am afraid of what it means for not only myself…. But “Creation. Are we ready? Is it fundamentally necessary? Or will it rip the veil? ….. Ooof. It is the heaviest burden of my entire life. So I must give myself more room to ponder what this could mean. In my mindy heart and my soul. Discernment is a necessity like never before.
I do truly hope this community can understand my prudence.
Thank you all for your patience.
I apologize for the many typos. I wish I could go back and correct them. Hopefully you all will catch my drift. Peace
On the one hand, QM says all is made of waves. On the other hand, particle physicists believe it is “particles all the way down”. Guess what is wrong in this picture?