"Perfect" Electron Roundness Bruises Supersymmetry 150
astroengine writes "New measurements of the electron have confirmed, to the smallest precision attainable, that it has a perfect roundness. This may sounds nice for the little electron, but to one of the big physics theories beyond the standard model, it's very bad news. 'We know the Standard Model does not encompass everything,' said physicist David DeMille, of Yale University and the ACME collaboration, in a press release. 'Like our LHC colleagues, we're trying to see something in the lab that's different from what the Standard Model predicts.' Should supersymmetrical particles exist, they should have a measurable effect on the electron's dipole moment. But as ACME's precise measurements show, the electron still has zero dipole moment (as predicted by the standard model) and is likely very close to being perfectly round. Unfortunately for the theory of supersymmetry, this is yet another blow."
ACME (Score:5, Funny)
"ACME collaboration"?
Then just bang the electron on the head with an ACME anvil, and it will grow lumps.
Re:Invisible unicorns in a garage (Score:1, Funny)
Because since protons prefer round, smooth booties, they won't date neutrons, which then fly off into space to shop. Didn't you learn anything in science class?
It's a heisenberg moment (Score:4, Funny)
If you measure it, an electron is perfectly round. The rest of the time it's kind of oval.
Perfectly spherical? (Score:5, Funny)
Science is going to be really screwed when they discover frictionless planes also exist.
Re:Perfectly spherical? (Score:5, Funny)
On the contrary, they'll all stand up and say this is what they've trained for all those years of assuming spherical cows and frictionless surfaces.
Re:Can anyone explain what supersymmetry is? (Score:4, Funny)
Must have some rough edges.
Re:Perfectly spherical? (Score:4, Funny)
If the surface is frictionless I doubt very much that they will be doing any standing.
Re:Bad news for string theory (Score:4, Funny)
A whole lot of PhD dissertations, physics publications, and academic careers are on the line over this.
All those (dipole) moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain...
Re:Invisible unicorns in a garage (Score:4, Funny)
Supersymmetry solves an enormous number of problems in particle physics, except for experimental facts.