3 ms·
If you are interested in this ongoing saga, you can start at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_radius_puzzle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_radius_puzz
by sanxiyn 6y ago
If you are interested in this ongoing saga, you can start at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_radius_puzzle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_radius_puzzle.
- JumpCrisscross 6y agoHow did we eliminate the possibility of a proton in the midst of a muon being smaller than one near an electron?
- sanxiyn 6y agoWe haven't. It is in fact one of alternatives considered. The problem is just that the direction doesn't work well.
- jfengel 6y agoThey didn't. But they did measure electron hydrogen in a different way, and got a similar result to the radius with muonic hydrogen. That makes the other measurement the odd man out. There could still be something unexpected going on with the proton radius in the presence of muons vs electrons, but it's more likely that the larger measurement is simply incorrect for some unknown reason. That discrepancy could still reveal new physics, but it's more likely an unrealized problem with the apparatus.