[Paper Review] Material evidence of a 38 MeV boson

Eef van Beveren, George Rupp|arXiv (Cornell University)|Feb 8, 2012

Nuclear Physics and Applications17 citations

TL;DR

The paper presents compelling evidence for a new light boson, E(38), with a mass of approximately 38 MeV, proposed to couple exclusively to quarks and gluons. Using high-statistics BABAR data, the authors identify a narrow resonance-like structure at 38 MeV above the Υ(2³S₁) peak in the μ⁺μ⁻ invariant mass distribution, supported by additional signals in γγ invariant mass distributions from CB-ELSA and COMPASS experiments, suggesting E(38) may be a scalar Higgs-like particle mediating strong interactions.

ABSTRACT

We present further and more compelling evidence of the existence of E(38), a light boson that most probably couples exclusively to quarks and gluons. Observations presented in a prior paper will be rediscussed for completeness.

Motivation & Objective

• To provide further, more robust evidence for the existence of a light boson, E(38), with a mass near 38 MeV, based on high-statistics data.
• To investigate the coupling structure of E(38), particularly its dependence on quark mass, through interference effects in quarkonium systems.
• To identify potential decay modes of E(38), especially E(38) → γγ, using two-photon invariant mass distributions from multiple experiments.
• To unify the observed oscillatory patterns in e⁺e⁻ and p¯p annihilation data with a single dynamical mechanism involving a 38 MeV boson.
• To propose that E(38) is a scalar Higgs-type particle associated with a micro-universe of gluons, consistent with models of strong-electromagnetic unification.

Proposed method

• Analysis of high-statistics BABAR data on e⁺e⁻ → π⁺π⁻Υ(1,2³S₁) → π⁺π⁻μ⁺μ⁻, focusing on the μ⁺μ⁻ invariant mass distribution around the Υ(2³S₁) peak.
• Fitting the data with a Gaussian distribution centered on the Υ(1³S₁) mass and identifying excesses and deficits relative to the fit to isolate potential resonant structures.
• Extraction and comparison of two-photon invariant mass distributions from CB-ELSA and COMPASS experiments to search for narrow peaks near 38 MeV.
• Background subtraction and signal extraction in COMPASS γγ data, revealing a prominent structure at ~39 MeV with ~46,000 events after subtraction.
• Interpretation of observed oscillations in e⁺e⁻ and p¯p annihilation data with a periodicity of ~76 MeV as interference between the 190 MeV c¯c oscillation frequency and a 38 MeV boson mode.
• Modeling E(38) as a scalar particle coupling to quarks proportionally to their mass, consistent with the ³P₀ pair-creation mechanism and the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Does a narrow resonance-like structure at 38 MeV above the Υ(2³S₁) mass in the μ⁺μ⁻ invariant mass distribution provide evidence for a new 38 MeV boson?
• RQ2 Can the observed periodic oscillations in e⁺e⁻ and p¯p annihilation data, with a period of ~76 MeV, be explained by interference between quarkonium oscillations and a 38 MeV boson?
• RQ3 Is there evidence for the E(38) boson decaying into two photons, as indicated by narrow peaks in two-photon invariant mass distributions from CB-ELSA and COMPASS?
• RQ4 Does the coupling strength of E(38) to quarks increase with quark mass, as suggested by the intensity of oscillations in bottomonium versus light quark systems?
• RQ5 Can the E(38) boson be identified as a scalar Higgs-like particle in a model of strong-electromagnetic unification?

Key findings

• A narrow excess structure is observed at approximately 38 MeV below the Υ(1³S₁) mass in the μ⁺μ⁻ invariant mass distribution from BABAR data, with a significance of about 2σ.
• The deficit in data above the Υ(1³S₁) peak appears at 38, 76, and 114 MeV above the mass, indicating a periodic modulation consistent with a 38 MeV excitation.
• The COMPASS experiment reveals a clear signal in the γγ invariant mass distribution at ~39 MeV, with ~46,000 events remaining after background subtraction, providing strong statistical support for E(38).
• CB-ELSA data show a modest, low-statistics peak at ~37 MeV in the two-photon distribution, consistent with a possible E(38) → γγ decay mode.
• The observed oscillations in e⁺e⁻ and p¯p annihilation data, with a periodicity of ~76 MeV, are interpreted as interference between the 190 MeV quarkonium frequency and a 38 MeV boson mode.
• The coupling of E(38) to quarks is inferred to increase with quark mass, suggesting a mechanism consistent with the ³P₀ model and scalar Higgs-like behavior.