While researching “dark photons”, the team fired protons at a strip of lithium. As expected, the positive charge changed the lithium into an unstable version of beryllium, which then underwent radioactive decay. But when they released protons onto the lithium at an angle of 140 degrees, the number of protons and electrons discharged far exceeded the researchers’ expectations, the article claims.

This led them to believe that the excess subatomic particles are being emitted by a new particle, which is 34 times heavier than the electron, suggesting there’s an undiscovered force at work.

While Krasznahorkay’s research paper was published last year, it has only recently drawn attention from the global science community, when physicist Jonathan Feng and his team at the University of California took an interest in it.

The experiment has not undergone peer review yet, but should other scientists come to the same conclusion, this could be a major gamechanger as to how we see the universe, the article concluded.

Source: BBJ.hu

Republished with permission