Great Country Academician

After receiving the pen and paper from Xu Chuan, Wei Teng began to check and calculate the analysis data on the manuscript paper.

As a scholar who has won the Fields Medal, his mathematical ability is very strong. It can even be said that no one in the entire physics world is better than his mathematical ability.

Given that Xu Chuan has already completed the data analysis and calculation, it doesn't take him much time to check the data.

Soon, he finished checking the analysis data on the manuscript paper.

The results are completely correct, and there are no calculation problems with these data on the manuscript paper.

From this point of view, the result seems obvious.

Due to the limitations of the equipment, the traditional "electron proton scattering atomic charge radius experiment" uses a metal container as the experimental device for the hydrogen atom cloud.

It is an indisputable fact that the high-energy electron beam will scatter and interfere with the metal when it collides with the hydrogen atom cloud after entering the experimental equipment.

This scattering interference has been noticed by physicists since the beginning.

After all, it is interference, and it is impossible for physicists to leave such a loophole problem.

So at the beginning, physicists calculated this kind of scattering interference, but found that the scattering interference produced by the high-energy electron beam and the metal container is very weak, so weak that it will hardly affect the calculation of the radius data of the proton.

Since there is no effect, this kind of scattering interference has been neglected in the following experiments.

However, judging from the analysis data on the manuscript paper, this kind of scattering interference is not weak, but part of the interference has been transformed into energy level data.

And this part of the data, the traditional calculation method does not seem to notice, thus causing a certain deviation.

From this point of view, the scattering interference produced by the high-energy electron beam and the metal container is indeed stronger than previous calculations by physicists, strong enough to affect the radius data of the proton.

Putting down the ballpoint pen in his hand, Wei Teng stared at the manuscript paper on the table in a daze.

Judging from the analysis and calculation results, there is a high probability that the mystery that caused the proton radius gap lies here.

But a problem that has troubled the physics world for many years and countless people are studying it is solved like this?

Is this a bit too fast?

But if you put it on a student like yourself, it seems to be reasonable?

He has solved a world-class mathematical conjecture problem in the past year. Although the problem of the proton radius is very famous, judging from the current data analysis, it is far less difficult than mathematical conjecture.

If there is an optimized experimental plan, supplemented by excellent data analysis ability and observation ability, it is actually not difficult to solve this problem.

In the past, no one has been able to find the cause of the problem because of the backwardness of experimental equipment and experimental methods, as well as the interference caused by previous wrong data.

The reason seems to be very simple, it has been hidden somewhere, but no one can dig it out.

Such is the case with high-energy physics and particle physics. They are based on various experimental equipment such as particle colliders and accelerators, and the role of physicists in them is basically data analysis.

Theoretical physicists put forward opinions and ideas, perfect them into theories, and various devices verify them, either affirming or denying them.

Just like the standard model, it is also perfected bit by bit through theory + practice.

"Frank, look at this."

After recovering from the trance, Wei Teng breathed a sigh of relief, and handed the manuscript paper in his hand to Frank Wilczek beside him.

Wilczek took the manuscript with some curiosity and doubts. He knew that his friend Wei Teng had accepted a student, but he hadn't heard of any new research projects he had recently.

"The mystery of the proton's radius? When did your research direction change from string theory to this?"

Scanning the title on the draft paper, Wilczek looked up curiously at his friend Wei Teng.

He naturally knows the mystery of the proton radius, which is a frontier problem in the particle physics world, and he is also very clear about the weight of this problem.

Wei Teng didn't answer directly, but said: "Read it first."

Hearing this, Wilczek turned his attention back to the manuscript paper in his hand.

As more and more information entered his eyes, he sat up involuntarily.

"A proton diameter of 0.831 femtometer."

"Unusual Energy Level Data"

"Scattering interference caused by the reaction of high-energy electron beams with metal containers."

One piece of important information quickly formed a thread in his mind, connecting the whole cause and effect.

"Interesting, is this your latest research result?"

After flipping through the manuscript in his hand, Wilczek looked at Witten with great interest and asked.

"how?"

Witten asked.

"It's a great new discovery. Maybe the difference in the radius of the proton is really caused by this problem, and from this data, the radius of the proton is much smaller than our previous calculations."

"I'm just curious, why did you suddenly start to study this problem, and your string theory didn't work?" Wilzek ​​asked curiously.

Witten shook his head slightly and denied, "This is not my research project."

Hearing this, Wilzek ​​raised the manuscript and materials in his hand, grinned like you don't want to be fooled and said: "Except for you, I can't think of anyone in the physics world who has such advanced mathematical skills."

"Although the above calculation process is not very complicated, the overall fluency is so high that few people in the entire physics world can do it."

Wei Teng smiled and said, "It's really not me this time, and the person who wrote these calculations is standing right in front of you."

Wilzek ​​was shocked immediately, and looked at Xu Chuan in surprise: "Are you sure?"

"certainly."

Wei Teng nodded, and continued: "I was supposed to go back to Princeton more than half a month ago. The reason why I haven't been back is because I was waiting for this."

"That's really unbelievable." Wilczek sighed, staring at Xu Chuan one after another.

"I actually didn't expect this problem to be solved."

Wei Teng also sighed, did not continue, looked at Xu Chuan, and asked, "Have you applied for the report meeting?"

"Applied, in three days." Xu Chuan replied.

"Is there enough time? If you rely on these data alone, I'm afraid you won't be able to make a conclusion. You need more data to verify it."

Xu Chuan: "It should be no problem. I have enough raw data and a project team. They can also help."

"Three days is indeed a bit rushed, but working overtime should be able to produce part of the verification data."

"Actually, it doesn't matter if it is inconclusive, as long as it is initially verified that the difference in the radius of the proton is indeed caused by the scattering interference of the metal container."

"Presumably the physics community will be very interested in this discovery, and there will definitely be other laboratories that will verify it."

Wei Teng raised his head and said with a smile: "That's for sure, such an important discovery, if there is no movement in the physics world, it will be too unreasonable. But now, you need to prepare well."

Xu Chuan nodded and said, "Then I won't bother you and Professor Frank, teacher."

Xu Chuan left, and the room fell into silence.

After a while, Wilzek ​​suddenly sighed: "It seems that you have accepted a very good student."

Wei Teng nodded and said, "Yes, he is even better than I imagined."

"A genius who can skillfully apply mathematical tools to physics, maybe he can make up for your regret."

Hearing this, Witten shrugged and said, "Who knows? He may be more interested in mathematics than physics."

"Want to make a bet? Maybe we can see him win a Fields Medal or a Nobel Prize in our lifetime?"

Suddenly, Wilczek asked enthusiastically.

"This is unnecessary."

Witten turned his head and looked at his friend, and continued: "It's hard to say the Nobel Prize, but the Fields Medal is only a matter of time before him, even if he won the Fields Medal in 2018. In 22 years, there must be a part of him."

Hearing this, Wilzek ​​looked at his friend in surprise and asked, "It seems that he has other outstanding mathematical achievements that I don't know about?"

Wei Teng smiled and said: "The most important achievement in the mathematics world in the first half of this year, the Weyl-Berry conjecture was solved by him."

"Although this problem is not very famous, it is no less difficult than the Model conjecture solved by Faltins. If he is not too young, he will definitely have a place in the Fields Medal two years later."

Vilzek's eyes widened in surprise: "Are you sure you're not kidding me? A mathematical problem comparable to Model's conjecture? If I'm not mistaken, he must be in his early twenties, right?"

"No, if I remember correctly, according to the age calculation method in that country, he doesn't seem to be nineteen yet."

After thinking for a while, Witten replied that the calendar and age calculation in that country seemed to be somewhat different from those in other places.

"Unbelievable."

"That is to say, he solved a world-class mathematical conjecture at the age of eighteen? This is too crazy. Am I crazy, or the whole world is crazy."

"Who knows." Wei Teng replied, he also couldn't understand his student.

"If that's the case, do you want to make another bet?" Suddenly, Wilzek ​​raised the bet again.

"What?" Wei Teng looked over suspiciously.

"I bet he can win both the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize before we leave this world." Wilczek said with interest: "He may be able to create a new history."

Wei Teng was stunned for a moment, and said: "You really like him, but no one has ever won the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal at the same time in history, which is too difficult."

Wilczek smiled and said, "It's because it's difficult that it's more challenging, isn't it?"

Although three days was not enough for Xu Chuan and his project team to complete all the data analysis, at least part of the verification materials had been produced.

These things will play a major role in the report meeting.

Soon, the time for CERN's project acceptance report meeting will arrive.

On the third day, the report meeting was held as scheduled. There were many people in the meeting place, and many physicists came to attend the report meeting.

The mystery of the proton's radius is still very fascinating.

The inspector sent by CERN sat in the first row, quietly waiting for the start of the report meeting.

Witten and Frank also came to the venue, sitting in the front row and talking quietly.

Many physicists from Huaguo also came. As Xu Chuan's tutor, Chen Zhengping naturally knew about this report meeting, so it was impossible for him to be absent.

At this moment, he brought his team to sit with the team of the University of Science and Technology of China, exchanging the progress and discoveries of his experimental project.

"Old Cao, what's the situation over there?" In the venue, Chen Zhengping and Academician Cao Hongyuan, who was led by the University of Science and Technology of China, sat together.

Cao Hongyuan is a little thin and doesn't look tall, but he looks very energetic.

In fact, this is exactly the case. Those who are familiar with him or his team members know that his boss is so energetic that he does not look like an old man in his fifties who is close to sixty.

Only sleep less than six hours a day, and then you can do research as a whole.

Working under him is really hard work, but you can also learn a lot.

Hearing the inquiry, Cao Hongyuan shook his head and replied: "The progress is mediocre, and nothing new has been discovered so far, and the research on pentaquark particles has also reached a deadlock."

"What about you? How is your situation there? I heard that you have applied for the Yukawa coupling experiment of the Higgs particle and the third-generation heavy quark. Is there any good news?"

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping sighed, and said: "There is no good news or bad news. Judging from the current experimental data, there is no Tangchuan coupling phenomenon in the collision results."

"However, the other two colleges and universities have not found anything so far, and the situation seems to have reached an impasse."

It has been more than a month since the experiment started in mid-July, and there is still no progress in the Yukawa coupling experiment between the Higgs particle and the third-generation heavy quark.

Chen Zhengping was very anxious at the beginning. After all, Georgia Institute of Technology and Australian University were also involved in this experiment analysis with NTU.

These two opponents are quite strong. If they cannot produce results in a short period of time, the value in the collision data will be exploited by the other party.

But as time went by, this anxiety eased a lot.

More than a month has passed, and not only Nantah University has found nothing, but the teams of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Australian University have also found nothing.

This, on the contrary, relaxes me.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this, I heard that the person who held this report meeting is your student? What is the content?"

Cao Hongyuan skipped this topic, looked at the empty podium and asked, he was pulled over by Chen Zhengping, he didn't read the invitation manual for the report meeting, so he didn't know the content of this report meeting.

"Well, Xu Chuan is currently studying at Princeton, following Deligne and Witten. This report will be related to the mystery of the proton radius. It should be a new method of calculating the proton radius."

When Xu Chuan was mentioned, the corners of Chen Zhengping's mouth curled up. This student can be said to be the best among all the students he has ever supervised.

"Xu Chuan, I seem to have heard of him by this name, he seems to be studying mathematics?" Cao Hongyuan asked suspiciously.

"Not really, this kid is a double major in mathematics and physics, but his achievements in mathematics are indeed better than those in physics."

Speaking of this, Chen Zhengping was also a little melancholy.

"Let's not talk about it, he is on stage."