The fifth force: Is there another fundamental force of nature?

[Judi Lynn]

Scientists in Hungary claim to have found a new particle that reveals a fifth force of nature.
By Eric Betz | Published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020



A team of researchers say they’ve discovered a new force that exists outside the textbook four fundamental forces of nature.
Pexabay/Insspirito

In recent years, a group of Hungarian researchers have made headlines with a bold claim. They say they’ve discovered a new particle — dubbed X17 — that requires the existence of a fifth force of nature.

The researchers weren’t looking for the new particle, though. Instead, it popped up as an anomaly in their detector back in 2015 while they were searching for signs of dark matter. The oddity didn’t draw much attention at first. But eventually, a group of prominent particle physicists working at the University of California, Irvine, took a closer look and suggested that the Hungarians had stumbled onto a new type of particle — one that implies an entirely new force of nature.

Then, in late 2019, the Hungarian find hit the mainstream — including a story featured prominently on CNN — when they released new results suggesting that their signal hadn’t gone away. The anomaly persisted even after they changed the parameters of their experiment. They’ve now seen it pop up in the same way hundreds of times.

That leaves some physicists excited by the prospect of a new force. But even if an unknown force is not responsible for the strange signal, the team may have revealed some novel, previously unseen physics. And if confirmed, some think the new force could move physics closer to a grand unified theory of the universe, or even help explain dark matter.

More:
https://astronomy.com/news/2020/03/the-fifth-force-what-is-it

[Coleman]

1. If they found another force, then

There still be only 4 forces. Gravity is not a force, it acts like one locally.

[PJMcK]

6. That's an odd observation

Gravity us defined in Physics as one of the Four Forces.

[caraher]

8. There's an interpretation of General Relativity under which gravity is a pseudoforce

Though of course, if one maintains gravity is not a force than we only have three fundamental interactions in the current understanding.

And to expand on the business about gravity not being a force, the equivalence principle says that "locally" there is no way to distinguish a gravitational interaction from an acceleration. A system in a gravitational field behaves the same way as a system undergoing the equivalent acceleration.

There's a lot more to the discussion, but the observation is based on the odd features of gravity compared to the other forces.

[peoli]

2. May the 5th Force be with you

[Igel]

3. Sigh and move on.

Not the first "new physics" they've discovered. Thing is, the other instances failed replication or, prior to that, on methodological grounds.

This is to be viewed in the same light. It's exciting if true, but probably isn't. Wait for confirmation.

[Midnight Writer]

4. Study the anomalies. That is how new discoveries arise.

[Wounded Bear]

5. May the Fifth be with you...

[sakabatou]

7. So it isn't the Speed Force?

[cstanleytech]

9. Maybe its Trumps Space Force? Formed in the tremendous vacuum between Trumps ears.