The Enigma of mass adn the Search for Extra Dimensions
The fundamental question of why mass exists, and how it originates, remains one of the most profound mysteries in physics. Understanding mass isn’t just about understanding the building blocks of matter; it’s potentially a key to unlocking the origins of the universe itself. A new book, “Why does mass exist?” delves into this complex topic, exploring the challenges of investigating mass at the most fundamental levels.
A crucial aspect of this investigation lies in understanding the behavior of elementary particles. While protons possess mass and therefore exert gravitational force, this force is incredibly weak at the scale of individual particles.The electrical force between protons is considerably stronger, effectively overshadowing gravity in particle interactions. Consequently, gravity is often negligible when considering reactions between elementary particles.
our experience of strong gravity stems from the sheer quantity of mass accumulated in larger objects like ourselves and the Earth. Electrical forces, while potent at the atomic level, tend to neutralize due to the presence of both positive and negative charges. Gravity, however, is always attractive, as all matter possesses positive mass, leading to a substantial cumulative effect when large amounts of matter are concentrated.
This disparity in gravitational strength presents a significant hurdle for physicists. It’s exceptionally difficult to determine whether Newton’s Law of Universal Gravity remains valid at the elementary particle level. The Cavendish experiment, which precisely measured gravitational force using large lead balls, becomes impractical when attempting to test the law over the minuscule distances relevant to elementary particles. Currently, the law of gravity has been confirmed to hold true down to distances of approximately 0.1 millimeters.
However, 0.1 millimeters represents an immense distance when considering the scale of elementary particles. Consequently, our understanding of gravity at this level remains incomplete. This gap in knowledge has led some physicists to propose models suggesting that space may possess additional dimensions – four or even five – at distances shorter than 0.1 millimeters. These extra dimensions, if they exist, are theorized to be “rounded” and too small to be directly observed, thus far remaining consistent with experimental results.