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NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission: Unlocking Secrets of the Universe Through Asteroid Bennu
In 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission successfully returned a sample of dust and rocks gathered from Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid. This milestone not only enriched our understanding of the cosmos through the sample’s analysis but also opened pathways to explore potential new physics. In a study published in Communications Physics, a multinational research team, spearheaded by Los Alamos National Laboratory, utilized the tracking data of Bennu to investigate the prospect of a fifth fundamental force of nature.
“Interpreting the data from tracking Bennu could be pivotal in expanding our grasp of the universe’s theoretical framework, possibly updating our comprehension of the Standard Model of physics, including concepts about gravity and dark matter,” stated Yu-Dai Tsai, the lead researcher. “The orbits of celestial objects often display unusual behaviors that may hold clues to new physics.” This pursuit is particularly important, given that the study of near-Earth asteroids has major implications for planetary defense operations.
The research team leveraged extensive ground-based tracking data collected prior to and during the OSIRIS-REx mission to investigate extensions of the Standard Model of physics, which currently accounts for three out of the four recognized fundamental forces. Since its discovery in 1999, Bennu’s trajectory has been closely monitored using a combination of optical and radar astrometric data, refined further by OSIRIS-REx through X-band radiometric and optical navigation tracking.
“The stringent constraints we’ve established provide some of the most precise limits regarding Yukawa-type fifth forces,” remarked Sunny Vagnozzi, an assistant professor at the University of Trento in Italy and a co-author of the study. “These findings underscore the potential of asteroid tracking as a significant method in the quest for ultralight bosons, dark matter, and other extensions of the Standard Model.”
Unveiling Anomalies for Discovery
The motion of celestial bodies is governed by gravitational forces and other influences, with anomalies in their trajectories often revealing deeper mysteries. The historical prediction of Neptune, derived from observed irregularities in Uranus’s orbit, serves as a classic example of such a phenomenon.
By analyzing trajectory data from Bennu, the research team was able to place constraints on the theoretical fifth force and the potential mediating particles, such as ultralight bosons. Discovering a new particle acting as a mediator could transform our understanding of the dynamics at play in the universe, particularly concerning its dark matter and dark energy components—forces that are hypothesized to account for approximately 85% of the universe’s total matter, yet remain elusive in particle identification.
Looking Ahead: The Next Mission to Apophis
Following their preliminary investigation into the fifth force using asteroids, as outlined in a 2023 publication in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Tsai and his colleagues are set to extend their research with the upcoming tracking of the Apophis asteroid. This near-Earth object is projected to come within 20,000 miles of Earth in 2029.
The forthcoming NASA OSIRIS-APEX mission aims to approach Apophis, stirring up regolith on the asteroid’s surface. This dust, combined with Earth’s gravitational influence during the asteroid’s close pass, is expected to yield valuable data for ongoing investigations into fifth-force physics.
Moreover, the team is exploring novel space quantum technologies and dedicated missions to enhance tracking accuracy and directly pursue dark matter research.
More information: Yu-Dai Tsai et al, Constraints on fifth forces and ultralight dark matter from OSIRIS-REx target asteroid Bennu, Communications Physics (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s42005-024-01779-3
Source
phys.org