In a series of upcoming experiments scientists in Tennessee will test for the existence of ‘mirror matter’ that could make up an unseen parallel world.
At Oak Ride National Laboratory — which houses America’s most powerful supercomputers — physicist Leah Broussard will run what she described to NBC as a ‘pretty straightforward’ test to assess a gap in the standard models of physics.
That reportedly simple test will employ the use a neutron beam to shoot particles at an impenetrable wall.
If the particles are observed on the other side of the impassable barrier, researchers say it could be evidence of mirror matter living in the background of our observable world.
As noted by NBC, the existence of a mirror world started to be more seriously tested in the 1990s when scientists observed an unexplained phenomenon involving the radioactive decay of neutrons into protons.
Researchers noted that neutrons, which eventually breakdown into protons, that were created in particle beams lasted on average 14 minutes and 48 seconds, while those collected in lab bottles took 10 seconds less.
Under current models of physics those particles should have exactly the same decay period.
To account for that discrepancy, Russian scientists Anatoli Serebrov of Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute in Russia posited that neutrons created in a beam can cross over into a mirror world, seemingly disappearing and skewing researchers results.
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See Also:
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(2) The International Space Station is growing mould — inside and outside
(3) Scientists say they’ve found three ‘zombie’ stars that survived explosions in their cores
(4) What Health Hazards Do Astronauts Face in Deep Space?
(5) NASA proof of aliens? Did NASA photograph a flying bird on Mars? UFO expert stunned
(6) Astronomers pinpoint location of a single fast radio burst for the first time
(7) Massive stars grow same way as light stars, just bigger
(8) Supercomputer shows ‘Chameleon Theory’ could change how we think about gravity
(9) Atira asteroids: A strange family of space rocks that circle close to the Sun
(10) Holes in the Universe sharpen cosmic measurements
Who has ever heard of this? Well, up until 2 days ago count me in.
The Dr. Frank Drake Equation – the number of intelligent life forms in the universe
Drake Equation Overview
The Drake Equation is an attempt to encapsulate all the variables that would be relevant to establishing the number of intelligent civilizations that existed in the Milky Way galaxy and which were broadcasting radio signals at this particular point in time. The Drake Equation is composed of seven terms. The first six are used to compute the rate at which intelligent civilizations are being created and the final term identifies how long each lasts on average as a broadcasting civilization. It is worth stressing that the Drake Equation applies only to intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy. It does not apply to civilizations in other galaxies because they are too distant to be able to detect their radio signals.
The Drake Equation is:
N = R * fp * ne * fl * fi * fc * L
Where:
N = The number of broadcasting civilizations.
R = Average rate of formation of suitable stars (stars/year) in the Milky Way galaxy
fp = Fraction of stars that form planets
ne = Average number of habitable planets per star
fl = Fraction of habitable planets (ne) where life emerges
fi = Fraction of habitable planets with life where intelligent evolves
fc = Fraction of planets with intelligent life capable of interstellar communication
L = Years a civilization remains detectable
More simply put…
– if only one in one billion of all the stars in the universe is a “sun” with planets;
– and if only one in one billion of these planets is of earth size and composition;
– there would still be approximately
2,800,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets capable of supporting oxygen-carbon life;
– or (by the most conservative estimates of chemical or organic probability), something like three million worlds with a chance of intelligent life and social evolution similar to our own.
http://www.astrodigital.org/astronomy/drake_equation.html