Alize S.

Santschi

Gr. 12-STEM Piety

Modeling Study Sheds New Light on Quantum Properties of Black Holes

Oct 31, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

University of Queensland theoretical physicist Joshua Foo and his colleagues form the University of
Queensland, Perimeter Institute and the University of Waterloo ran calculations that revealed
surprising black hole quantum phenomena.
Black holes continue to captivate physicists from a diverse array of backgrounds, ranging from cosmology and
astroparticle physics, to quantum field theory and general relativity. Because of the extreme gravitational
environments they generate, these compact objects are considered primary candidates for studying regimes in
which quantum gravity effects are present. Indeed, the discoveries of Hawking radiation and black hole
evaporation gave rise to the well-known information paradox and an entire field seeking its resolution, which aptly
illustrates the existing conflicts between quantum theory and general relativity. Theoretical physicists recently
recognized that a complete theory of quantum gravity must account for the treatment of black holes as quantum
objects. “Black holes are an incredibly unique and fascinating feature of our Universe,” said Foo, first author of a
paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters. “They’re created when gravity squeezes a vast amount of
matter incrediblyensely into a tiny space, creating so much gravitational pull that even light cannot escape.”

“But, until now, we haven’t deeply investigated whether black holes display some of the weird and wonderful
behaviors of quantum physics. “One such behavior is superposition, where particles on a quantum scale can exist
in multiple states at the same time,” he said. “This is most commonly illustrated by Schrödinger’s cat, which can be
both dead and alive simultaneously. “But, for black holes, we wanted to see whether they could have wildly
different masses at the same time, and it turns out they do. ”Imagine you’re both broad and tall, as well as short
and skinny at the same time — it’s a situation which is intuitively confusing since we’re anchored in the world of
traditional physics. But this is reality for quantum black holes. ”To reveal this, Foo and co-authors developed a
mathematical framework allowing us to ‘place’ a particle outside a theoretical mass-superposed black hole

REFERENCE: https://www.sci.news/physics/quantum-black-holes-11349.html

REFLECTION: According to a recent study, black holes have characteristics of quantum particles, implying that
they can be both small and large, heavy and light, or dead and alive, like the fabled Schrödinger's cat. According
to the article I’ve read, Erwin Schrödinger created the famous Schrödinger's cat thought experiment in the early
20th century to highlight some of the fundamental problems with quantum physics. It is widely regarded as the
most famous example of quantum superposition. Subatomic particles, in accordance with quantum theories,
exist in numerous states concurrently up until they come into contact with the outside world. The particle is
thrown into one of the potential states by this encounter, which could be as simple as being measured or
detected. Not that we are any closer to understanding what is going on inside black holes. But whatever that is,
it is probably even more fantastic than we could imagine.
Alize Santschi

Gr. 12- STEM Piety

Neutron Lifetime Anomaly Remains Unsolved, Physicists Say

Jun 29, 2022 by News Staff

To measure the lifetime of a free neutron, physicists take two approaches that should arrive at the same answer: one traps
neutrons in a magnetic bottle and counts their disappearance; the other counts protons appearing in a beam as neutrons
decay. It turns out neutrons appear to live nine seconds longer in a beam than in a bottle. To solve this unexplained discrepancy
between ‘beam’ and ‘bottle’ measurements, a team of U.S. physicists entertained a wild but testable theory positing the
existence of a right-handed version of our left-handed Universe. They designed a mind-bending experiment to try to detect the
so-called dark-matter mirror neutrons.

“The neutron lifetime is an important parameter in the Standard Model because it is used as an input for calculating the quark
mixing matrix, which describes quark decay rates,” said Dr. Frank Gonzalez, a physicist at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “If
the quarks don’t mix as we expect them to, that hints at new physics beyond the Standard Model. ”Over the years, perplexed
physicists have considered many reasons for the discrepancy between ‘beam’ and ‘bottle’ measurements of the neutron
lifetime. One theory is that the neutron transforms from one state to another and back again. “Oscillation is a quantum
mechanical phenomenon. If a neutron can exist as either a regular or a mirror neutron, then you can get this sort of oscillation,
a rocking back and forth between the two states, as long as that transition isn’t forbidden,” said Dr. Leah Broussard, also from
the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The authors performed the first search for neutrons oscillating into dark-matter mirror
neutrons using a novel disappearance and regeneration technique. The neutrons were made at the Spallation Neutron Source
(SNS), a DOE Office of Science user facility. A beam of neutrons was guided to SNS’s magnetism reflectometer.The team used
the instrument to apply a strong magnetic field to enhance oscillations between neutron states. Then the beam impinged on a
‘wall’ made of boron carbide, which is a strong neutron absorber. If the neutron does in fact oscillate between regular and
mirror states, when the neutron state hits the wall, it will interact with atomic nuclei and get absorbed into the wall. If it is in its
theorized mirror neutron state, however, it is dark matter that will not interact. So only mirror neutrons would make it through
the wall to the other side.

REFERENCE: https://www.sci.news/physics/neutron-lifetime-anomaly-10948.htm

REFLECTION: Understanding how much hydrogen, helium, and other light elements produced in the initial few minutes after
the Big Bang, when the universe was founded, depends on knowing the lifetime of a neutron. The team's conclusion is
presented in this article: there was no proof of neutron regeneration. But in spite of that, the outcome is nonetheless crucial
to the advancement of knowledge in this area.