In the recent study, the scientists searched through data looking
for proof of B mesons decaying into lighter particles for instance the tau
lepton and the muon. According to the Standard Model all leptons shall be
treated by all the fundamental forces, a theory known as "lepton
universality." This means both the tau and the muon should decay at the
same exact rate, once the change in mass is accounted for. But the group
discovered a tiny, but clear, difference in the rates of decay which could specify
the existence of potentially unknown forces or particles interfering with the
rates of decay.
Hassan Jawahery, from the University of Maryland in the US and
also one of the lead researchers, said in a statement "The Standard Model
says the world interacts with all leptons in the same way. There is a democracy
there. But there is no guarantee that this will hold true if we discover new
particles or new forces. Lepton universality is truly enshrined in the Standard
Model. If this universality is broken, we can say that we've found evidence for
non-standard physics."
BaBar experiment conducted in 2012 at Stanford’s Linear
Accelerator Center (SLAC) showed the same results. The BaBar experiment also concentrated
on B meson decay; but, unlike the LHC which smashes protons together, the SLAC
used colliding electrons to conduct their experiment. Regardless of the
different methods, having two experiments with related results is key, and
suggestive of actual physics.
The results will be issued in the September 4 issue of
Physical Review Letters.