index
THE MIRROR MATTER THEORY
CERN experiment to test for mirror world
Seven wonders of the
mirror world
Nearly
50 years ago it was discovered that the fundamental particles,
such as the electron and proton, have 'left-handed' interactions -- they
do not respect mirror symmetry. This experimental fact motivates the idea
that a set of 'mirror particles' exist. The left-handedness of the ordinary
particles can then be balanced by the right-handedness of the mirror particles.
In this way mirror reflection symmetry can exist but requires something
profoundly new. It requires the existence of a completely new form of matter
called 'mirror matter'.
The mirror symmetry requires that the masses of the mirror particles
should be the same as their ordinary counterparts. However, ordinary and
mirror particles do not interact with each other by any of the known
fundamental forces except via gravity. Einstein's theory suggests that
anything with mass should couple to gravity, however the other fundamental
forces can act completely separately on the ordinary and mirror sectors.
Mirror matter should not be confused with anti-matter which has quite
different properties (in fact, some people have the unfortunate habit
of
using the term 'mirror matter' when they really mean anti-matter).
In anycase,
mirror matter is still hypothetical
although there is a large range of astrophysical
and experimental evidence
for its existence.
The evidence ranges from observations suggesting that most of the matter
in the Universe is invisible to unexpected properties of ghostly particles
called 'neutrinos'.
- It predicts mirror matter stars which are invisible -- and there is a large
body of evidence for such invisible
dark matter.
There is also some specific
evidence that mirror stars have been
observed from their gravitational effects
on the bending of
light ( MACHO
observations).
If mirror matter exists then mirror planets should also exist.
In fact,
there is remarkable evidence that these planets have
actually been detected
orbiting around nearby ordinary stars.
The opposite type of system, with an ordinary planet orbiting a mirror
star, also apparently exits, but has been misidentified as an
'isolated' planet!
Perhaps most remarkable of all, is the evidence that mirror matter
not only exists
in our solar system, but mirror matter asteroid or comet sized
objects are
frequently colliding with our planet. There may even be fragments
of mirror
matter at various impact sites around the world (such as the one
in Jordan), which could potentially be found. Nobody has looked!On the
microscopic level two types of forces or interactions can connect ordinary
and mirror matter.
That is, by small transition forces connecting photons with
mirror photons and by small mass mixing terms between neutrinos and mirror
neutrinos.
The observational consequences of these effects are actually observed:- The photon-mirror
photon transition force implies a shorter effective lifetime
for orthopositronium (a
type of atom made from an electron and a positron)
in vacuum experiments.
A shorter lifetime is seen!
- Neutrino-mirror neutrino mass mixing implies
that each ordinary neutrino
transforms (oscillates) into its mirror
neutrino partner.
Remarkably, solar,
atmospheric and other neutrino experiments
actually require the existence of
new types of neutrinos, oscillating with
the ordinary neutrinos in a way
which is
consistent with the mirror matter theory.
Any mirror matter hydrogen gas left over in our solar system
would not have
been swept out by the solar wind. Remnant mirror
matter particles striking
spacecraft would
lead to a drag force slowing them down.
In fact,
precise measurements of the velocities of the
Pioneer
spacecraft indicate
that
they are indeed slowing down faster
than expected due to known forces!
At first, the idea seemed too fantastic to really be true, yet,
over the last few years it appears that almost every astrophysical and
experimental prediction of the theory has actually been observed by
observations and experiments: There is fascinating evidence for
mirror matter in the Universe from astronomical observations suggesting
that most of our galaxy is composed of exotic dark material called
`dark matter'. Recent particle physics experiments have revealed unexpected
properties of ghostly particles called `neutrinos' and weird matter
anti-matter atoms (orthopositronium). This unexpected behaviour is expected
if mirror matter exists. Most remarkable of all, is the evidence that our
planet is frequently bombarded by mirror matter asteroid sized objects,
causing puzzling events such as the 1908 Siberian explosion ( the Tunguska event)
which felled more than two thousand square kilometers of native forests
without leaving a single meteorite fragment behind! On a smaller scale
there are frequent puzzling impact
events, with one such event
occurring recently (April 2001) in Jordan,
A picture of one of the Jordan impact sites.
Scientific Reviews
Some recent scientific articles
Exotic meteoritic phenomena: The Tunguska event and anomalous low
altitude
fireballs -- manifestations of the mirror world? by R. Foot and T. Yoon.
A mirror world explanation for the pioneer space
craft anomalies, by R. Foot and R. Volkas.
Mirror objects in our solar system, by Z. Silagadze.
The mirror world interpretation of the 1908 Tunguska event and other more recent events, by R. Foot.
Do `isolated' planetary mass objects orbit invisible mirror stars? by R. Foot, A. Ignatiev and R. Volkas.
Can the mirror world explain the orthopositronium lifetime anomaly? by R. Foot and S. Gninenko.
The early Mirror Universe: Inflation, Baryogenesis, Nucleosynthesis and dark matter, by Z. Berezhiani, D. Comelli and
F. Villante.
Gamma Ray Bursts from Mirror Stars, by S. Blinnikov.
If mirror matter does exist, and we can dig it out of the
ground then what can we use it for?
Perhaps something
more profound than frictionless bearings...
In the book, Shadowlands-quest for mirror matter in the Universe,
it was suggested
that many comets might be made of
mirror matter with a small component of ordinary
matter.
This is to explain their rapid reduction in luminosity after
approaching
the sun
for the first time -- the ordinary
matter evaporates leaving a dark mirror matter
core.
Very recent observations (above link) seem to provide evidence for
this
amazing (but admittedly very speculative) possibility.
New evidence that `isolated' planets extend deep into the
planetary mass region.
Are they really isolated or do they orbit invisible mirror
stars?
Can someone please do some Doppler shift
measurements of these planets!
Falling ice blocks -- what is the cause/causes?
A mirror matter comet striking the Earth would
cause rapid cooling of the
atmosphere. This is because mirror matter would
absorb heat from the surrounding
ordinary atmospheric atoms (this happens because of the photon-mirror
photon interaction).
This heat would
be radiated away as mirror photons, thereby rapidly cooling
the atmosphere.
It might
lead to the formation of clouds and maybe even ice blocks...
(see the above
link).
Maybe it could also explain the
observations suggesting the frequent impact of
small comets
which was suggested by Stephen Heyer.
Of course, more work needs to be done exploring these very
recent ideas.
Perhaps
they are a product of an over-active imagination!
Extrasolar planet encyclopaedia (actually this is the USA
mirror site, which I naturally prefer!)
Spires Database
Soccer Competition
Andrei Ol'khovatov's log of possible non-meteoritic events
Los Alamos Preprint archive
Saibal Mitra's Mirror Matter Webpage.
Two young mirror matter researchers win gold!
Mirror Matter Mirror site
This page is maintained by Robert Foot, E-mail: foot@physics.unimelb.edu.au
Last modified July 15, 2002