New research brings us closer to a mystery of the universe
New method aids the search for fundamental properties of the electron – and thereby the composition of the universe.
Why is there so much matter and hardly any antimatter in the universe? It’s one of the great unanswered questions in physics. The standard theory of how the smallest particles in the universe behave – the so-called Standard Model – cannot fully explain this imbalance. That’s why scientists around the world are searching for evidence of new laws of physics. One such clue might lie in a minuscule phenomenon: an electric charge distribution within the electron, also known as the electric dipole moment.
Physicist Maarten Mooij is contributing to this quest with a unique approach. Instead of using enormous particle accelerators like those at CERN, Mooij developed an extremely precise method to study the behavior of electrons in a special molecule: barium fluoride (BaF). By examining these molecules in an ultra-cold, controlled environment, it becomes possible to measure with great precision whether a slight asymmetry – a charge distribution – exists within the electron.
At the core of Mooij’s research is a special source that produces an intense beam of slow-moving BaF molecules. The slower the molecules move, the longer they can be studied, which increases the precision of the measurements. His setup proves to be highly efficient: it produces a large number of molecules, and they move relatively slowly – exactly what's needed for precision measurements.
To better understand the properties of this molecular beam, Mooij also developed a new measurement technique that maps both the speed and position of each individual molecule. With this method, he discovered three underlying processes that determine how fast the molecules emerge from the source – crucial information for further research.
The societal value of this research lies in the bigger picture: it helps science in an alternative way – alongside large-scale experiments like those at CERN – to answer fundamental questions about our universe. By using different research methods in parallel, the chances increase that physicists will discover unknown territories within particle physics.
This type of fundamental research doesn’t immediately yield tangible applications, but it deepens our understanding of the laws of nature that govern everything around us. And that is the first step toward breakthroughs that may eventually impact our daily lives – from technology to our worldview.
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