Physicists Unravel the Mystery of Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry in the Universe

Most of the laws of nature treat both particles and antiparticles equally. Yet stars and planets are made of particles-not antiparticles. This asymmetry, which favors matter slightly, has puzzled scientists for years. Now, though, a group of physicists may have solved this mystery.

The researchers propose that the matter-antimatter asymmetry could be related to the Higgs boson particle. More specifically, the asymmetry may have been produced as a result of the motion of the Higgs field, which is associated with the Higgs boson, and which could have made the masses of particles and antiparticles in the universe temporarily unequal. This, in turn, would have allowed for a small excess of matter particles over antiparticles.

If a particle and an antiparticle meet, they disappear by emitting two photons, or a pair of some other particles. After the Big Bang, there were almost equal amounts of particles and antiparticles, except for a tiny asymmetry. As the universe cooled, though, the particles and antiparticles annihilated each other in equal numbers, and only a tiny number of particles remained. This tiny amount is all the stars and planets and gas in today's universe.

The findings reveal an explanation for the asymmetry that helped create our universe. It's possible that the Higgs field could be responsible. This tells physicists a bit more about how the universe functions; that said, further study is needed before any firm conclusions about the subject are drawn.

The findings are published in the journal Physics Review Letters.

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