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"Nobody realized this was the case," Miller said. "It is significant
because it is a clear fact of nature that we didn't know before. Now
we know it."
The discovery changes scientific understanding of how neutrons
interact with negatively charged electrons and positively charged
protons. Specifically, it has implications for understanding the
strong force, one of the four fundamental forces of nature (the others
are the weak force, electromagnetism and gravity).
The strong force binds atomic nuclei together, which makes it possible
for atoms, the building blocks of all matter, to assemble into
molecules.
"We have to understand exactly how the strong force works, because it
is the strongest force we know in the universe," Miller said.
The findings are based on data collected at the Thomas Jefferson
National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, Va., the Bates Linear
Accelerator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Mainz
Microtron at Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany.
The three labs examine various aspects of the properties and behavior
of subatomic particles, and Miller studied data they collected about
neutrons. His analysis was published online Sept. 13
(2007) in Physical Review Letters. The work was funded in part
by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Since the analysis is based on data gathered from direct observations,
the picture could change even more as more data are collected, Miller
said.
"A particle can be electrically neutral and still have properties
related to charge. We've known for a long time that the neutron has
those properties, but now we understand them more clearly," he said.
He noted that the most important aspect of the finding confirms that a
neutron carries a negative charge at its outer edge, a key piece of
Fermi's original idea.
The strong force that binds atomic nuclei is related to nuclear energy
and nuclear weapons, and so it is possible the research could have
practical applications in those areas.
It also could lend to greater understanding of the interactions that
take place in our sun's nuclear furnace, and a greater understanding
of the strong force in general, Miller said.
"We already know that without the strong force you wouldn't have atoms
� or anything else that follows from atoms," he said.
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