A Syracuse University professor recently made a discovery that could better inform physicists on the way nature behaves.

Physics professor Paul Souder, along with a team of researchers, helped discover that colliding quarks and electrons can actually tell the difference between left and right. A quark is an elementary particle, and it makes up the building blocks of protons and neutrons.

Souder’s findings could have a long-lasting effect in the field of particle physics.

“For the first time, we have seen that electrons and quarks react depending on whether they are spinning clockwise or counterclockwise,” said Alan Middleton, a physics professor at SU. “This confirms a theoretical prediction while also putting limits on new theories.”

Middleton said Souder has been working on this type of research for many years at locations all around the world. He added that the recent experiment in which the team discovered the quarks’ behavior took several years to plan.

According to a Feb. 6 news release from the College of Arts and Sciences, much of the team’s research took place at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, also known as the Jefferson Lab, in Newport News, Va. The findings of the experiments could directly affect the standard model of physics, which deals with the weak and strong nuclear interactions among particles.

In the release, Souder said the new findings could help scientists set limits on the energies needed to look beyond the standard model.

Jay Hubisz, an assistant professor of physics at SU, said the discovery by Souder and his team could help researchers in the future as well.

“This finding puts tighter constraints on new models, which may eventually supplant the standard model,” Hubisz said.

Hubisz added that the standard model is still standing after these experiments, despite several issues with it, including inconsistencies with cosmological observations.

Both Hubisz and Middleton said making a new discovery in the field of particle physics is something that warrants attention. New results in the area are “always, and increasingly, hard-won,” Hubisz said. He added that he is pleased that Souder led the way in making the observations.

Middleton said the group’s findings are new, which he said is rare in particle physics.

“I am excited in that these results are going to be much sharper after another year of experimentation,” Middleton said.

As a theorist, Hubisz said he saw the results as “bittersweet” in a way, because the findings don’t serve as direct evidence of the incompleteness of the standard model. However, he said the group’s discovery is still a step in the right direction.

Said Hubisz: “Nature is what it is, and we’re thrilled about every clue we can get as we struggle to understand her.”

Published on February 12, 2014 at 1:28 am

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27