A simulation shows tracks of particles produced in a muon collider, a proposed new type of particle smasher that scientists hope could reveal new phys

Accelerated muons bring next-gen particle colliders closer to reality

submited by

Style Pass

2024-11-14 02:30:02

A simulation shows tracks of particles produced in a muon collider, a proposed new type of particle smasher that scientists hope could reveal new physics secrets.

In a step toward new types of particle physics experiments, scientists cooled and then accelerated a beam of muons. The subatomic particles, heavy cousins of electrons, could be accelerated and slammed together at future particle colliders in hopes of unlocking physics secrets. But first, scientists have to figure out how to give muons a speed boost.

Counterintuitively, that means first slowing muons down. Muons in particle beams initially go every which way. To make a beam suitable for experiments, the particles need to be first slowed and then reaccelerated, all in the same direction. This slowing, or cooling, was first demonstrated in 2020 (SN: 2/5/20).

Now, scientists have not only cooled muons but also accelerated them in an experiment at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex, or J-PARC, in Tokai. The muons reached a speed of about 4 percent the speed of light, or roughly 12,000 kilometers per second, researchers report October 15 at arXiv.org.