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A Rice University physics lecturer has established the existence of particles that were previously deemed unattainable. Kaden Hazzard alongside his former graduate student, Zhiyuan Wang, unveiled their discoveries in a Jan. 8 Nature journal.
It was once thought that all fundamental particles only fit into two classifications, fermions and bosons, as stated by Andrew Long, a Rice professor who focuses on theoretical particle physics. Electrons and protons are categorized as fermions, while photons represent bosons—the two primary classifications of subatomic particles. According to him, this belief is so fundamentally accepted that it has almost become a “guiding principle” within the field of physics.
The concept of ‘paraparticles,’ an arguable variant that does not conform to either particle classification, was initially proposed in 1953, according to Long. However, additional research conducted in the 1970s invalidated that notion, concluding that these paraparticles were merely another variation of bosons and fermions.
“The pioneering research by Wang and Hazzard sheds new light on paraparticles,” Long noted in an email sent to the Thresher. “They contend that paraparticles can emerge as quantum particles and that they cannot be reclassified as bosons or fermions.”
The particle statistics model that supports this claim is referred to as parastatistics. In their study, Wang and Hazzard endeavored to enhance this model and theoretically substantiate the existence of paraparticles.
“The concept of introducing new particle statistics is truly the innovative aspect of this paper,” Hazzard remarked.
Wang, a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Germany and the leading author of the publication, mentioned that the idea first emerged in 2021 during his doctoral studies, towards the conclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was incredibly bored at home, so I began tackling a peculiar mathematical challenge for amusement,” Wang detailed in an email to the Thresher. “I discovered a rather unusual and exotic resolution for that issue, and upon interpreting it physically, the notion of parastatistics surfaced.”
At first, Wang noted that his concept was met with doubt from others, including Long and Hazzard.
“I preferred to focus on practical experiments, and Wang managed to persuade me of the merits of examining sophisticated mathematics when suitable,” Hazzard stated. “It reinforces the premise that one ought to remain very open-minded when a student presents an idea that seems flawed.”
To actualize their theory, Wang and Hazzard indicated they utilized advanced mathematical frameworks, including Hopf algebra, group theory, and Lie algebra. Hazzard mentioned that he needed to master much of this mathematics during the project’s duration.
“[These findings] further affirm my conviction regarding the power of mathematics in describing and uncovering the laws of nature,” Wang communicated.
While the theoretical existence of paraparticles has been demonstrated, Wang aspires to ultimately detect them through experimentation.
Long expressed optimism about the experimental visualization of paraparticles, though acknowledged the necessity for additional work to integrate parastatistics with relativity—another pivotal aspect of physics.
“I would wager that experimental validation of paraparticles is not far off,” Long commented. “The theoretical contributions by Wang and Hazzard are paving the path to discovery.”
Such research could prove beneficial in the quantum information domain, according to Wang.
“[Paraparticles] empower a secret communication scheme where two entities with paraparticles can interact over vast distances … without ever coming nearer to one another, and without leaving any detectable traces for a third party,” Wang expressed.
Mustafa Amin, a theoretical cosmologist and physics educator, stated that astrophysics and cosmology also present opportunities for studying these particles. He is particularly interested in evaluating whether dark matter particles, which constitute a substantial portion of the universe, adhere to parastatistics.
“Inspired by the groundbreaking research in this paper, exploring the cosmological implications of particles conforming to parastatistics would be an exciting challenge,” Amin wrote in an email to the Thresher.
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