LHC Sets 12-TeV Limits on Quantum Black Holes and Hidden Dimensions
Updated
Updated · Space.com · Sep 21
LHC Sets 12-TeV Limits on Quantum Black Holes and Hidden Dimensions
3 articles · Updated · Space.com · Sep 21
Summary
CMS researchers found no sign of quantum black holes or hidden dimensions in Large Hadron Collider data, instead setting new exclusion limits on where such phenomena could exist.
A new search technique scanned collision events up to 12 tera-electron volts, looking for the spherical, high-energy particle spray expected when a tiny black hole forms and instantly decays.
Those null results narrow the parameter space for physics beyond the Standard Model rather than ending the search, ruling out specific properties that should have appeared in the data.
The hunt matters because quantum black holes could offer a route to quantum gravity and help explain why gravity appears weak if it leaks into extra dimensions.