A physicist at the University of Cincinnati was able to crack a problem that was presented as unsolvable in the famous sitcom, \u2018The Big Bang Theory\u2019.<\/p>\n
Professor Jure Zupan and colleagues figured out how to, theoretically, produce subatomic particles called axions in fusion reactors.<\/p>\n
Fictional particle physicists Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter worked on the problem in three episodes of the show\u2019s fifth season, but were unable to solve it. \u201cThe general idea from our paper was discussed in \u2018The Big Bang Theory\u2019 years ago, but Sheldon and Leonard couldn\u2019t make it work,\u201d Zupan said in a press statement.<\/p>\n
Investigating axions<\/p>\n
UC physics Professor Jure Zupan worked with a team of theoretical physicists at the Fermi National Laboratory, MIT, and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology to find a solution to the problem. The team published their findings in a new study in the Journal of High Energy Physics<\/a>.<\/p>\n Axions are hypothetical particles that could help explain dark matter, the mysterious invisible substance that makes up 85 percent of the universe. Unlike normal matter, dark matter does not absorb or reflect light. Scientists know it exists due to its gravitational impact on galaxies and star clusters. One well-known theory is that dark matter is a very light particle called an axion. <\/p>\n Physicist cracks fusion reactor problem that \u2018Big Bang Theory\u2019s\u2019 Sheldon Cooper couldn\u2019t solveZupan and his colleagues set out to discover how axions can be produced in a fusion reactor. They considered a specific type of reactor powered by deuterium and tritium in a vessel lined by lithium. One such reactor is being developed in the south of France as part of a global collaboration. According to a University of Cincinnati press statement<\/a>, this reactor will produce dark sector particles due to a flux of neutrons.<\/p>\n \u201cNeutrons interact with material in the walls. The resulting nuclear reactions can then create new particles,\u201d Zupan said in the statement.<\/p>\n Another method would see axion particles generated when neutrons bounce off other particles, slowing them down. This releases energy in a process known as bremsstrahlung, or \u201cbraking radiation.\u201d According to the scientists, these new particles could be axions, or axion-like particles.<\/p>\n The Big Bang Theory<\/p>\n In \u2018The Big Bang Theory\u2019, the characters never actually talk about axions when they are trying to solve the problem. Instead, their calculations are shown on whiteboards\u2014an Easter egg for physicist fans of the show. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s fantastic to watch as a scientist,\u201d Zupan said. \u201cThere are many layers to the jokes.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u2018Big Bang Theory\u2019 is famous for incorporating well-known scientific concepts like Schrodinger\u2019s cat into its writing. It also featured famous names in the world of science and technology, including a cameo from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.<\/p>\n The series aired its final episode in 2019. The show won 10 Emmy awards out of 55 nominations throughout its roughly 12-year run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A physicist at the University of Cincinnati was able to crack a problem that was presented as unsolvable…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359095,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[199,79],"class_list":{"0":"post-359094","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-physics","8":"tag-physics","9":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/359095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}