Hydrogen and Antihydrogen Weave into a New Particle ⚡ экспресс
In the electroweak theory of the Standard Model, there exists a topological susceptibility – a property of the vacuum that requires the presence of a pseudoscalar state η_W. The authors showed that this state does not require introducing new particles: it naturally arises as a CP-odd combination of the ground states of hydrogen and antihydrogen atoms. In other words, the quantum vacuum contains an 'echo' of ordinary matter and antimatter. It's akin to finding a long-predicted musical overtone in the sound of a well-known instrument.
Hydrogen and its antipode — antihydrogen, discovered by Полем Дираком in 1931, annihilate each other on contact, flashing radiation. But in the quantum world, something else is possible. If two such antipodes are bound into a common structure, they don't perish but form a new object — a quantum 'vortex'.
The basis is the ability of space in the Стандартной модели to bend and form stable knots. Thanks to this, водород and antihydrogen with opposite mirror properties (like left and right) combine into one state. No new particle is needed — everything is built from ordinary atoms.
This blurs the line between particle physics and atomic physics. And the most thrilling part: such 'vortices' could be the key to the nature of dark matter — the invisible substance that governs galaxies.
🎯 Under normal conditions, hydrogen and antihydrogen instantly turn into energy. But in this state, they coexist without annihilation.
🎬 In science fiction, antimatter is explosive fuel. Yet this work suggests that antimatter can peacefully coexist with ordinary matter.