Accidental Blogger

The "Boundary of Detectability" and the Time Particle

by Norman Costa

I just read a fascinating article about one of the most esoteric, and obscure areas of research in particle physics. Alan Boyle, Science editor at msnbc.com, writes: “Can one particle explain both dark matter and the mysterious origins of matter and antimatter? Some physicists think so. They're calling the as-yet-only-theoretical object the "X particle."”

You can find Boyle's article, Could X particle solve two puzzles?  HERE.

It's too bad that Boyle was limited by time and space and did not go further into other developments in X particle research.  A lot more is happening.

The Boundary of Detectability

Boyle wrote, “The researchers suggest that the existence of the anti-Y and anti-Φ particles could be confirmed by their interactions with protons. Such interactions "could be on the boundary of detectability [my emphasis]" at facilities such as the Super-Kamiokande underground particle detector in Japan, said UBC's Kris Sigurdson.”"

Boyle goes on, “Theoretically, the X particles would decay into detectable neutrons, or a pair of hidden particles called Y and Φ (the Greek letter phi).”

New Developments in X particle physics

There is a proposed subset of Y particles called the Mee particles, named after the medical physicist, Bernard Fischer, who developed the protocol for Mammography Equipment Evaluation (MEE.)  The Y particles are very hard to detect, and none has been observed to date.

There is a particular type of Mee particle, the Tel particle, named after famed theoretical physicist, and H-Bomb champion, Edward Teller.  It is hypothesized that the Tel-Mee-Y particle is responsible for the the annihilation of anti-matter, or anything that gets in the way of its own ascendancy up the ladder of particle dominance.  The Tel-Mee-Y is hidden, and only inferred by the absence of what came before it.

The other X particle is the Φ (the Greek letter phi.)  Like the quark, the Φ comes in two orientations, up and down.  Physicists, who enjoy inventing banal names and acronyms for important ideas in quantum mechanics, refer to them as High-Φ, and Low-Φ.

Professor Corey in Science Tomorrow

Detecting the Tel-Mee-Y, and the High-Φ is the work, some say obsession, of Professor Irwin Corey, Chair of the Particle Physics Department at Dutchess County Community College in Poughkeepsie, New York.  He is the world's foremost authority.

In an article in this month's Science Tomorrow, Corey explained how he proved that the Tel-Mee-Y and the High-Φ are on the "boundary of detectability".  Corey claimed the "boundary of detectability" evidence is so compelling that new lines of research can proceed without completing the final step of actual detection.

Criticism has come from all quarters of the scientific community.  Objections to Corey's article are varied, but there is a consistent theme to the dismissal of Corey's ideas.  They are summed up in the following question: Is it true that the hypothesized particles are on "the boundary of detectability," or is Corey no where near the boundary of detecting?  Corey says his critics are making too fine a distinction.

Religion and politics came into the picture when a Nobel Laureate issued this challenge to Corey: “Do you think we should abandon climate change research because, as some people firmly believe, the "end times" are near and, therefore, climate change research is unnecessary?”

New Research on the Time Particle

Corey went on to discuss the enormous savings in time and money that would otherwise be consumed in trying to detect particles that are known to be on the "boundary of detection."  “That is money and time better invested in new research into detecting the hypothesized time particle,” he wrote.  Though not yet accepted by the larger physics community, he refers to it as the π(the Greek letter pi)T.  He is attracting research grants from around the world for his new investigations.  He refers to the new focus of his research as "Deep πT."

I am sure we will be hearing more from Professor Irwin Corey and his critics in 2011.

You can contact Professor Erwin Corey HERE.
Alan Boyle can be reached by Connecting with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page or following @b0yle on Twitter.