![]() ![]() One electron Volt describes the kinetic energy gained by a single electron as it moves from zero volts to a potential of one volt, and so a megaelectronvolt is equal to the energy gained when an electron moves from zero volts to one million volts. The scientists dubbed this particle X17, because they calculated its mass at 17 megaelectronvolts (MeV). What is unusual is that the particles split at a precise angle of 115 degrees, as though they were knocked off course by an invisible force. While monitoring an excited helium atom’s decay, they observed it emitting light, which is not unusual. Hungarian scientists from the Atomki Nuclear Research Institute led by Professor Attila Krasznahorkay believe they have found evidence of a fifth force of nature. Surely there must be another force (or forces) that explain both its existence and the reason for its darkness. But the existence of dark matter makes this model seem incomplete. Together, these have become the standard model of particle physics. They are gravity, electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force that causes particle decay, and the strong nuclear force that binds quarks into atoms. Over the years, humans have come up with four forces that can be used to describe every single interaction in the physical world. ![]()
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