Great Country Academician

Chapter 117 The Mystery of the Proton Radius

After having a meal in a certain hotel with the city leaders and provincial leaders who received him, and after being interviewed by some official media reporters, Xu Chuan returned to school with his tutor in his tutor's car.

"After this time, it's time for you to graduate. Go to Princeton for further study earlier, and you can go further in mathematics in the future."

On the spacious highway, Chen Zhengping sighed while driving, with a somewhat melancholy tone.

He is a little confused now, and he doesn't know whether it was good or bad that he accepted this disciple last year.

It's hard to say, this disciple has worked out a world-class conjecture in half a year, and he has already reached the pinnacle that ordinary people can't even hope to reach at a young age.

But it was mathematics, not physics, which made him a physics tutor.

But to say yes, he felt that he had hardly brought this kid any help.

Not to mention helping, this disciple even helped him complete a material physics experiment in turn, and relied on his keen mathematical ability to find the flaws, and saved a research and development project that was about to be abandoned by him. In the material project, he has made great contributions.

He sometimes wondered if he had delayed him by taking this kid in, after all he couldn't teach mathematics at all.

Before this kid encountered some math problems, he still consulted Professor Zhou Hai of the School of Mathematics. This always made him feel a little guilty, feeling that he hadn't brought him any help.

So it is better to let him graduate early. If he does not graduate because of physical reasons, it can be said that he is holding back.

After all, with his talent, if he can meet a good math teacher, he can learn more.

Although mathematics depends on talent, a good teacher and a good academic environment are also very important.

This kid has such a strong talent in mathematics, but with a physics tutor like him, and in a university like Nantah University with a not very strong mathematics department, it always feels inappropriate.

And the golden career of studying alone is only a few years.

So it is better to let him go to Princeton to receive a deeper mathematics education earlier.

As for physics, alas

On the co-pilot, Xu Chuan cast a funny look at Chen Zhengping.

This is his mentor, dear mentor, the kind who took him to study physics, but now makes him study mathematics.

What kind of psychology is this?

As for graduation, he wasn't worried at all.

If a student who proves a world-class mathematical conjecture cannot graduate, then no one in this world will be able to graduate.

But since he had already set the goal of double cultivation, he had to do something in physics.

As for the direction of the matter, he had already thought about it when he held the exchange meeting in Princeton.

Two pieces, one is a supplement to the derived results of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

Although this part can have a little relationship with physics, but the relationship is not very big, and it is related to astrophysics.

So Xu Chuan also prepared another achievement that is more suitable for the direction of particle physics to balance the achievements in mathematics.

"Teacher, does the latest research in the physics world have accurate numbers for the radius of the proton?"

In the co-pilot, Xu Chuan asked his instructor.

Chen Zhengping turned his head to look at Xu Chuan, and asked curiously, "Why are you suddenly interested in this?"

"Oh, when I held an exchange meeting in Princeton, I went there to take a few math and physics classes, and the professor talked about this in the course."

Xu Chuan briefly explained the source, and then said: "I will check the information on this later, and found that the current physics world does not seem to have a method that can accurately obtain the precise radius of the proton in the atom."

"The most accurate figure is about 0.8768 femtometers measured by the spectroscopic experimental method and the scattering definition of charged particles and protons."

"But there seems to be a problem with this number later on. The proton radius measured by the Lamb shift of ordinary electrons is only 0.833 femtometers?"

Xu Chuan asked with interest.

Chen Zhengping stared at the traffic ahead, turned the steering wheel to avoid a large truck, and said, "Well, this is indeed a new problem that has appeared in recent years."

"Before 2010, the proton radius measured by the physics community through spectroscopy experiments and scattering experiments between charged particles and protons was around 0.8768 femtometers, so it is agreed that the proton radius is this number."

"But in 2010, different differences emerged. In a spectroscopic proton radius measurement experiment, researchers used muons instead of electrons in order to advance the precise radius value of protons."

"The muon's properties are similar to electrons, but its mass is 200 times that of electrons, and the heavier protons stay longer in the test, so the energy level is more significantly affected by the size of the proton."

"Therefore, compared with electrons, the proton radius calculated by muons should be more accurate, but in this experiment, the experimental results gave a proton radius of 0.84184 femtometers - the proton radius has become smaller."

"The results of this experiment caught the researchers at the time by surprise, but since then, more spectroscopy experiments have further confirmed the small proton radius."

"At the beginning of 2012, the research team of York University in Maple Leaf State pointed out that not only muons—after improving the experimental equipment, the radius of protons measured by the Lamb shift of ordinary electrons is only 0.833 femtometers. "

"However, the proton radius obtained through scattering experiments always stays at around 0.8768 femtometer."

"That is to say, there is a 5% gap between the two different test methods. This 5% gap is called the 'mystery of the proton radius'."

"As of now, why there is a gap of 5% and how it came about has not been figured out, so it is called a new puzzle in particle physics."

"Why, you kid is interested in this piece?"

At the end, Chen Zhengping smiled and turned his head to look at Xu Chuan, who was on the co-pilot, and checked the rearview mirror by the way, ready to switch lanes and get off the highway.

"I'm really interested. After sorting out the proof papers of the Weyl-Berry conjecture in Princeton, I read some papers and materials in this area."

"In the Standard Model of particle physics, the proton is not the most fundamental particle, but is made of quarks."

"If you want to accurately answer the question of the proton radius, you must first define the radius of the proton."

"According to the basic principles of quantum mechanics, a proton is not a small ball with a definite radius, but a distribution of matter (imagine the electron cloud of a hydrogen atom)."

"According to this basic principle, the proton radius, more precisely, the charge radius of the proton, refers to the root-mean-square distance from the center of the charge distribution of this mass of matter."

"That is - γE=√\u0026lt;γ\u0026gt;E=√∫drγpE(r)/q; pE(r) is the distribution density of proton charges, and Q is the total charge of protons."

"According to this mathematical formula, the radius of the proton can be determined by the energy spectrum of the hydrogen-like atom and the scattering experiment of the electron proton."

"And replace electrons with muons, the only difference between electrons and muons in the standard model is mass, so if you use muons to do experiments, you only need to replace the mass of electrons in the formula involved with the mass of muons."

"If the experiments and calculations are carried out in this way, even if there is a deviation, the deviation will not be as large as close to 5%, so there is probably something wrong."

In the driver's seat, Chen Zhengping thought about Xu Chuan's opinion, and asked, "So what do you think is wrong? The previous experimental data, or the latest 10-year experiment?"

"You must know that these two groups of people are currently fighting fiercely in the physics world. Neither of them will accept the other, and they all feel that the other party is wrong."

Xu Chuan shrank back, adjusted his sitting posture, and said, "I don't know who is right and who is wrong, but first of all, it is certain that the size of the proton cannot have two results. If there are two, the Modern Physics Building will directly collapsed."

"But I can't give an accurate answer now. Maybe I can find some papers and data on the data and calculate it after I go back to see if the problem appears in the calculation formula or calculation."

"Can you figure it out?"

Hearing Xu Chuan's words, Chen Zhengping immediately answered, but suddenly suddenly, he laughed dumbly and said: "I almost forgot that your kid's current mathematical ability has surpassed 99.99% of mathematicians in the world. "

"If you are interested in this area, you can try to research it first."

"However, the proton radius is not a purely mathematical problem. If you want to completely solve the 'proton mystery', you may need to use tools such as proton accelerators."

"Nanjing University currently has no scientific research projects in this area, nor does it have a proton accelerator. If you want to do experiments, you have to go to the capital Baicheng."

"Moreover, the proton accelerators in Baicheng, the capital, may not meet the requirements for proton radius research. It's better to go to Europe or the United States."

"After all, you also know that the development of high-energy physics in China is quite late. As of today, only two proton accelerators have been built, and the scale is not very large."

"Of course, you can try to set up a scientific research project first. If your preliminary research has results, you can publish it, and then go to Europe or the United States to borrow their proton accelerators for experiments."

"Anyway, your previous scientific research funds have not been moved yet. This time, the complete Weyl-Berry conjecture has been solved, and the scientific research funds will be increased by another section. It should be enough to support you to complete a project."

Xu Chuan wondered: "Will Europe reject our project? After all, proton accelerators are so precious."

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping smiled, and said: "This kind of purely theoretical project that attracts the attention of the world will not do it. The premise is that the paper you publish is valuable and the project is interesting. Don't worry about researching proton radius. , definitely not."

"Why, do you really want to try this?"

Xu Chuan scratched his hair, smiled shyly, and said, "Let's talk about this when we go back to school. I always feel that I got some grades in mathematics. If I don't get some grades in physics, I won't be able to finish this course." .”

Chen Zhengping laughed, and just wanted to criticize his half-hearted thinking and persuade him to study mathematics, but then he thought that this is a monster who solved a world-class mathematical conjecture in half a year.

As a result, he forcibly swallowed all the words that came to his mouth, almost choking himself.

Listen, is this plausible?

If it is said that proving a world-class mathematical conjecture is called a little achievement, I am afraid that more than 99.9999% of the people in the world do not have this kind of achievement.

If you have to get this grade to graduate, over 99.9999% of college students in the world may not be able to graduate after all their research.

But put it on this kid, maybe it can really make him study something in physics.

And Chen Zhengping also hoped that he could study something out.

Khan, it was originally scheduled, but it was sent out directly when the hand shook.

Forget it, it’s December, ask for a monthly pass, ask for a guaranteed monthly pass in the hands of everyone

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