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In 2023, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned a sample of dust and rocks from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Beyond the immediate scientific value of the samples, data from OSIRIS-REx has opened the door to investigating new physics. A study published in *Communications Physics*, a Nature journal, details how an international research team led by Los Alamos National Laboratory used Bennu's trackin by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 10, 2024
In 2023, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned a sample of dust and rocks from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Beyond the immediate scientific value of the samples, data from OSIRIS-REx has opened the door to investigating new physics. A study published in *Communications Physics*, a Nature journal, details how an international research team led by Los Alamos National Laboratory used Bennu's tracking data to explore the possible existence of a fifth fundamental force of the universe.
"Interpreting the data we see from tracking Bennu has the potential to add to our understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of the universe, potentially revamping our understanding of the Standard Model of physics, gravity, and dark matter," explained Yu-Dai Tsai, lead author of the study. "The trajectories of objects often feature anomalies that can be useful in discovering new physics."
Near-Earth asteroids like Bennu are closely monitored, partly for planetary defense purposes. The team utilized ground-based tracking data from before and during the OSIRIS-REx mission to probe extensions of the Standard Model of physics. Bennu's trajectory has been tightly constrained thanks to optical and radar data since its discovery in 1999. The OSIRIS-REx mission further enhanced this data with X-band radiometric and optical navigation tracking.
"The tight constraints we've achieved translate readily to some of the tightest-ever limits on Yukawa-type fifth forces," added Sunny Vagnozzi, assistant professor at the University of Trento in Italy and co-author of the paper. "These results highlight the potential for asteroid tracking as a valuable tool in the search for ultralight bosons, dark matter, and several well-motivated extensions of the Standard Model."
Anomalies can lead to key discoveries
The trajectory of a celestial object, such as Bennu, is shaped by gravity and other factors. Trajectory data can reveal mysteries-just as anomalies in the orbit of Uranus led to the discovery of Neptune before it was ever observed. By analyzing Bennu's trajectory, the team established constraints on the possibility of a fifth force mediated by a new particle, such as an ultralight boson. If such a particle exists, its influence could be detected in the asteroid's altered orbit.
A particle like an ultralight boson could represent an extension of the Standard Model, potentially connecting it to dark matter and dark energy. Though dark matter may constitute up to 85% of the universe's total matter, the particles and forces behind it remain unknown.
Next: Apophis
Before analyzing Bennu, Tsai and his colleagues explored asteroid-based fifth-force physics in 2023, publishing their findings in the *Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics*. The team plans to continue this work by tracking the asteroid Apophis, which will pass just 20,000 miles from Earth in 2029. NASA's OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft will approach Apophis, kicking up dust and providing fresh data on how Earth's gravity influences its trajectory, furthering the search for fifth-force physics.
The team is also exploring new space quantum technologies and missions to enhance tracking precision and directly search for dark matter.
Research Report:Constraints on fifth forces and ultralight dark matter from OSIRIS-REx target asteroid Bennu
Related Links
Los Alamos National Laboratory
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