Magic Big Bang Number

1990/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astrofisika

The data obtained from the LEP particle accelerator located in the CERN center of Geneva have announced the confirmation of the Big Bang.

The success of the Big Bang model lies largely in explaining the relative abundances of the light elements present in the universe, especially the initial hydrogen/helium ratio. Before that time the heat was too big for the cores to be united.

After this time, free neutrons were no longer available. Relative abundance therefore depends on the time the universe remained in that situation. This depends on the speed of propagation and therefore on the amount of light particles (i.e., light neutrinos). Cosmologists have seen that they can explain the relative abundance of the various elements if there are no more than four types or aromas of neutrino.

The OPE has given number of light neutrinos, without presuppositions on the abundance of elements or cosmology. The electron and positron beams of the LEP collide with each other and are destroyed by forming a heavy Zº particle. Among the possible disintegration pathways of the Zº particle are neutrino pairs. On the other hand, the shorter the life of the Zº particle, the more aromas of neutrino there will be. Therefore, accurate measurement of particle life will provide us with an exact number of neutrino types.

According to the data obtained in the DPI there are only three aromas of neutrino. The Big Bang is still healthy.