A decades-long scientific debate about the lifespan of a free neutron may have found a solution. Physicist Eugene Oks from Auburn University in Alabama proposes a groundbreaking explanation involving an unusual, "phantom" hydrogen atom.
Neutrons, typically stable within atomic nuclei, become unstable when free, eventually decaying. Oks suggests that in some instances, a neutron might split into a neutrino and a unique type of hydrogen atom. This invisible hydrogen atom could be a key component of the universe's missing matter, known as dark matter.
This theory is consistent with standard quantum physics and the particle model. Oks is currently preparing experiments to excite these invisible atoms using electron beams. If successful, this could revolutionize particle physics and our understanding of dark matter.