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The Search For Neutrons That Leak Into Our World From Other Universes
KentuckyFC writes: One of the more exciting predictions from "braneworld" theories of high energy physics is that matter can leak out of other universes into our own, and vice versa. The basic idea is that our three-dimensional universe or brane is embedded in a much larger multi-dimensional cosmos. These branes can become coupled so that a quantum particle such as a neutron can exist in a superposition of states in both universes at the same time. When the neutron collides with something, the superposition collapses and the particle must suddenly exist in one brane or the other. That means neutrons from our universe can leak into other branes and then back again. Now physicists are devising an experiment to look for this neutron leakage. They plan to put a well shielded neutron detector next to a shielded nuclear reactor that produces neutrons at a research facility in France. All this shielding means the detector should not see any neutrons from inside the reactor. However, if the neutrons are leaking into another brane and then back into our world, they can bypass this shielding and trigger the detector. The team has not yet set a date for the experiment but the discovery of neutrons (or anything else) leaking into our universe would be huge.
What if the other brane also has a reactor shield in the same spot?
Hear hear. Moreover, unless I'm mistaken, shielding is the sort of thing where, every once in a while, a neutron can manage to get through... right? Is this accounted for somehow, or is this not the case?
What ensures the detected neutron isn't just some other neutron?
I think the idea is to have a huge source of neutrons in physical proximity to increase the chances of one leaking into the other universe first so it can leak back on the other side of the shielding.
The idea would be to look for neutron counts higher than they should be getting given the amount of shielding. So if it should be blocking 99% but they are seeing 2%, then they would have a possible positive result. So they would be looking for statistically significant differences that could only be explained by neutrons skipping between universes.
Except that the baseline expectation is derived from experience with previous, presumably brane-leaky, shielding.
You're looking for quotes? See my journal.
I think the idea is to have a huge source of neutrons in physical proximity to increase the chances of one leaking into the other universe first so it can leak back on the other side of the shielding.
I have a big problem with that.
From TFA: "...the number of neutrons that leak back into our universe from another brane will depend on the distance of the detector from the reactor, where they are created in the first place. This rate should fall with the square of the distance from the reactor. So any distance dependence will be good evidence of brane leakage."
What? Why should the creation rate fall with the square of the distance? I can understand the inverse square law from the standpoint of neutron emissions from our own universe, but wouldn't entanglement across branes be, by definition, independent of distance?
"A little misunderstanding? Galileo and the Pope had a little misunderstanding."
Good. I like when things are questioned. I read both Brian Greene and Lee Smolin.
Nonetheless, there are predictions that can be made based on current research, and it makes sense to try them out if there's a reasonable way to do it.
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.