According to new research, a strange particle known as the “Majoran” could hold the key to understanding the imbalance between matter and antimatter.
For decades, scientists have puzzled over why the universe didn’t vanish in a flash of energy shortly after the Big Bang. In theory, matter and antimatter should have annihilated each other completely, leaving behind nothing but radiation. Yet, the cosmos is brimming with matter, and antimatter is scarce. How could this happen?
This conundrum, known as baryogenesis, suggests that some unknown mechanism tipped the scales in favor of matter during the universe’s earliest moments. Now, researchers believe that neutrinos—ghostly particles with bizarre properties—may play a pivotal role in this imbalance.
Neutrinos and the Mysterious Majoran
Neutrinos are incredibly light particles that interact weakly with other matter, earning them the nickname “ghost particles.” The known varieties of neutrinos are all “left-handed,” meaning their internal spins align in a single direction. Scientists speculate that right-handed neutrinos may also exist, and their interactions could explain why neutrinos have mass.
In their study, researchers propose that two right-handed neutrino species, which are far heavier than their left-handed counterparts, existed in the early universe. Initially, these neutrinos maintained a perfect balance. However, as the universe expanded and cooled, this symmetry broke, causing left-handed neutrinos to gain mass while the right-handed ones faded into obscurity.
This shift had far-reaching consequences. The researchers suggest that the broken symmetry sparked a chain reaction that disrupted the delicate equilibrium between matter and antimatter. Moreover, this process may have given rise to the Majoran, a theoretical particle that is both matter and antimatter.
A New Candidate for Dark Matter
If the Majoran exists, it could be the elusive dark matter that makes up most of the universe’s mass. Unlike ordinary matter, dark matter neither emits nor absorbs light, making it invisible to traditional detection methods. However, the researchers argue that the Majoran could still leave detectable traces in specialized neutrino experiments.
Facilities like Super-Kamiokande in Japan and Borexino in Italy are designed to study neutrinos in detail. According to the study, these experiments could potentially identify signals consistent with the Majoran’s presence. Such a discovery would revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos, shedding light on the origins of matter, the nature of neutrinos, and the mysterious dark matter that permeates galaxies.
While the theory is still unproven, it offers a tantalizing glimpse into the forces that shaped the universe as we know it. If validated, it could answer some of the deepest questions in cosmology and physics.
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