Hungarian researchers are said to have discovered a fifth fundamental force: a potential source of new energy?

Toutes les formes connues d’énergie dérivent des 4 forces fondamentales de l’Univers : la gravitation découverte par Newton, l’électromagnétisme ou force de Lorentz, la force « faible » en œuvre dans les réacteurs nucléaires et la force nucléaire forte responsable des réactions de fusion au cœur des étoiles ou de la bombe H. Des scientifiques hongrois du laboratoire ATOMKI de Debrecen en Hongrie affirment avoir mis en évidence une 5^e force fondamentale. Si cette découverte se confirmait (ce qui est encore loin d’être le cas), elle pourrait révéler l’existence d’une nouvelle forme d’énergie.

Whatever the form of energy you exploit, it implies the manifestation of one of these 4 fundamental forces. Thus, the gravity exerted by the Moon is at the origin of the tides and the energy produced by the power plant of the Rance or the Moulin at tide of Bréhat. It is also gravitation that is at work in hydroelectric dams and STEPs or certain new energy storage techniques. The electromagnetism which links each other the atoms of a molecule is responsible for the heat released during a combustion, whether in your pellet stove, in a petrol engine, the turbine of a jet aircraft or a coal factory. It is also this force that produces electric current in photovoltaic panels or gives you energy during the slow oxidation of food in your body ... which allows you to think (20 % of this energy is indeed consumed By our brain), run, pedal, saw wood or make love…. The low nuclear force is exploited in atomic power plants which currently produce 70 % of the electricity consumed in France. As for strong nuclear force, it is at the source of nuclear fusion at work in the stars and our sun. It sends us the light which is at the origin of all life on earth, of the growth of plants and most of the other energies that we exploit, such as wind energy [1]. What force is then responsible for geothermal energy may you ask me? Well, I let you think and the first who has discovered the solution will be able to reveal it in the comments below.

Discovery of Boson X17

But, in addition to these 4 fundamental interactions known to physicists, there could be another.Researchers from the Atomki laboratory in Debrecen, Hungary think they discovered a new particle that they called "Boson X17", which could be the vector of a fifth fundamental force.

The team led by Attila Krasznahorkay postulates its existence to explain the amazing results of experiences relating to the disintegration of certain atoms such as helium-4 and Béryllium-8. In 2015 and as part of their research on dark matter , these scientists have "bombed" in their particle accelerator, lithium-7 with protons. They observed the creation of Béryllium-8, an unstable isotope that quickly disintegrated into pairs of electrons and positrons. The way these particles repel should form a predictable angle according to the laws of physics. However, this was not the case: they detected an angle of 140 ° which does not "stick" with our knowledge of the behavior of the matter. To explain this anomaly Attila Krasznahorkay has hypothesized that it could be explained by the production of an unknown particle. He even determined the mass: around 17 million electrolves (MEV) and called this "Boson X17" particle.

About a year later, other physicists have developed a theory that this Boson X17 could be a sign of a fifth fundamental force of nature.These results have stung the curiosity of scientists from around the world and gave rise to several studies, including a direct research of the particle by Ducern scientists [2].But so far, they haven't found anything.

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On the track of a new form of energy?

More recently, a new article published by the Hungarian team reports a second anomaly observed this time in a transition from Helium-4 nuclei."This time a surplus appeared at an angle of 115 °, but it can also be explained by the production of a particle of a mass of around 17 MEV," said Attila Krasznahorkay."This result corroborates our previous observation and supports the hypothesis of the existence of a new elementary particle."

However, the scientific community remains skeptical.No other team has yet managed to reproduce the results observed by the Atomki Institute.For Sergei Gninenko who works on the subject at CERN [2], "the anomalies detected by the Hungarian team could be due to something completely new, like an unteashed particle so far".But it does not exclude the possibility of an error in the interpretation of the results of their experiences."To put their hypothesis to the test two things are essential: a detailed theoretical analysis of the compatibility between the results obtained with Béryllium-8 and those obtained with helium-4, and a confirmation by an independent experience" explains-he.

Another team of physicists from the Massachusetts (MIT) Institute of Technology (MIT) led by Jesse Thaler went to discover the Boson X17."We are carrying out a research that should lead in 2023. It will confirm or refute the hypothesis that the anomalies detected at the Atomki Institute would be due to a fifth fundamental force," they declare.

However, and even if the discovery of this new force is confirmed - which is therefore far from being acquired - it should not be hoped that the energy it could generate is usable for our everyday needs.The exploitation of this energy by humanity would indeed be even more complicated and utopian to realize that the nuclear fusion controlled: scientists from around the world have been trying to tame it for more than 50 years without having yet reached it.And the research costs that would require the development of techniques capable of allowing the large -scale use of this new energy would probably be even more gigantic than those of the calamitous ITER project.For the time being, the development of renewable energies is the only realistic track which will allow by 2050 to provide humanity with abundant and clean energy.

[1] The winds are indeed mainly due to warming unequally distributed on the surface of the planet and caused by solar radiation.

[2] CERN: The European Council for Nuclear Research based in Geneva is the most important laboratory in the world devoted to particle physics.