The analysis uses the trajectory of the asteroid Bennu in an attempt to extend the Standard Model of physics. Here’s everything you need to know.
In 2023, the NASA mission brought back a sample of dust and rocks collected on the asteroid Bennu. In addition to information about the universe gleaned from the sample itself, the data generated by OSIRIS-REx could also represent an opportunity to probe a new physical force. An international research team led by the US Los Alamos Laboratory has used data from the asteroid to study the possible existence of a fifth fundamental force in the universe.
What is this fifth fundamental force of the universe
“The interpretation of the Bennu data could add something to our understanding of the theoretical basis of the universe, potentially overturning the Standard Model of physics, gravity and dark matter,” explained Yu-Dai Tsai, lead author of the study. “Object trajectories often exhibit anomalies that can be useful for discovering new physics.”
Given the implications for planetary defense, near-Earth asteroids are being monitored closely. Optical and radar astrometric data have helped constrain, or establish with some degree of precision, Bennu’s trajectory since it was discovered in 1999. It has provided X-band radiometric and optical navigation tracking data. “These results highlight the potential of asteroid tracking as a valuable tool in the search for ultralight bosons, dark matter, and several well-motivated extensions of the Standard Model.”
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Anomalies lead to discoveries
The trajectory of a celestial object is influenced by gravity and other factors. Understanding the physics of trajectories can reveal mysteries, especially when there are anomalies in the trajectory. In the past, long before it was actually observed, the planet Neptune was inferred from observations of irregularities in the orbit of the nearby planet Uranus.
Using trajectory data and modeling resulting from Bennu tracking, the teams’ analysis established constraints on a possible fifth force and the role of a potential mediating particle, such as an ultralight boson. The presence of a mediating particle that could act on a fifth force would manifest itself in the altered orbit of an asteroid like Bennu. This is why studying tracking data is so important for physics.
A new particle such as an ultralight boson could represent an extension to include dark matter and dark energy. Both were suggested to us by observations but have not yet been incorporated into the general framework. While dark matter is thought to make up perhaps 85% of the total matter in the universe, science remains uncertain about which particles and forces make up dark matter.
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