First results from Muon g-2 experiment strengthen evidence of new physics

The Muon g-2 ring sits in its detector hall amidst electronics racks, the muon beamline, and other equipment. Fermilab - The first results from the Muon g-2 experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory have revealed that fundamental particles called muons behave in a way that is not predicted by scientists' best theory to date, the Standard Model of particle physics. This landmark result, published April 7 in Physical Review Letters , confirms a discrepancy that has been gnawing at researchers for decades. The strong evidence that muons deviate from the Standard Model calculation might hint at exciting new physics. The muons in this experiment act as a window into the subatomic world and could be interacting with yet-undiscovered particles or forces. "This experiment is a bit like a detective story," said team member David Hertzog , a University of Washington professor of physics and a founding spokesperson of the experiment. "We have analyzed data from the Muon g-2's inaugural run at Fermilab, and discovered that the Standard Model alone cannot explain what we've found.