Mysteries of Physics

Have you ever wondered what is still left to be discovered? At first glance it seems like science has answered all our questions, just look it up on Google or Chat GPT. Yet there remains a plethora of mysteries which are yet to be uncovered. This article seeks to explore the current issues being tackled by physicists, and the theories which could explain potentially everything.

The Standard Model of Particle Physics is considered by many physicists as the most complete theory of physics, as it entirely describes our world as we know it. Four different categories of particles exist. First are leptons (such as electrons), next quarks (up quarks and down quarks for example), then bosons (such as Z or photons) and finally neutrinos (particles which have extremely low rates of interaction). They make up the basis of everything which surrounds us. These particles interact with each other due to four main forces mediated by their corresponding bosons. These forces include the electromagnetic,

nuclear weak, nuclear strong and gravitational forces, although the latter is yet to be fully described by the Standard Model. 

The greatest theory of gravity formulated is the Theory of General Relativity formulated by Albert Einstein. Along with special relativity, It abandons the notion of separation of space and time and unites them into one single four dimensional framework spanning across the universe: spacetime. Massive objects deform the fabric of space time, bending it, explaining light’s curvature. Einstein’s theory of relativity, in effect, establishes that all, including time, is relative to the reference frame, with the only exception being the speed of light in a vacuum.

The aim of this article is to focus on the issues surrounding modern physics, the theories themselves are covered in greater detail in previous articles.

1. Baryonic Asymmetry

The Standard Model, despite its great success, does not answer certain fundamental questions about the Universe. One of the greatest mysteries which yet remains is the observed baryon asymmetry between matter and antimatter. According to the Standard Model’s predictions, the amount of matter and antimatter at the creation of the universe should have been equal, which is far from being the case. This prediction results from a fundamental symmetry at high energies of the Standard Model: Charge Parity (CP) symmetry. As a result of this symmetry, at high energies every particle is formed with its antiparticle. It also fails to explain dark energy and dark matter, a kind of invisible energy responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe, which makes up 95% of the Universe's mass-energy content.

The Higgs mechanism remains mysterious to scientists even today. Yet, it could hold the key to these questions. The Higgs boson could decay into dark matter, as predicted by some Beyond Standard Model (BSM) theories. Baryon asymmetry could result from the electroweak phase transition in the early universe following symmetry breaking. Scientists are therefore searching for cracks in the Standard Model in order to propose BSM theories that could explain these unresolved issues.