Weird electron-positrons from decaying beryllium and helium hint at new boson. //

A new paper, by the same scientists that published the beryllium results. This time, they measured electron-positron emissions from excited helium. Same experiment, different atom, but the same 17MeV boson was found.

The new result is pretty strong evidence. If the experiment has some kind of systematic error in it, then we would expect that the “new” particle would change mass between helium and beryllium. It doesn’t, though; the results are very consistent between experiments. That means that if it is an error, it is an unfortunately flukey one.

more scientists would be happier to accept the result if it fit their expectations. An axion with a mass as small as a few MeV? Sure thing. A giant WIMP with a mass of many GeV? Ok. But, a boson that is lighter than a proton and kind of middle of the road? Why haven’t we seen that before?

There may also be, I think, a certain amount of unconscious snobbery in the background. The experimental results haven’t come from any of the big labs. And now the big labs are going to be putting planned experiments on hold to see if a result that they won’t get credit for stands up. If they find the boson, then, great, they’ve won plaudits for someone else. But, if that gun doesn’t smoke, there will be a long and painful search for what makes the original experiment different from the rest.