Testing for the possible existence of fifth forces is crucial, as ultralight bosons that could mediate these forces are predicted in various extensions of the Standard Model. Recent research has identified asteroids as promising probes for this investigation, but more applications using accurate data are needed to explore this possibility.
A new study used the OSIRIS-REx mission and ground-based tracking data for the asteroid Bennu to derive constraints on fifth forces.
In 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission returned a sample of dust and rocks from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Beyond the insights about the universe provided by the sample, the mission’s data could also offer opportunities to explore new physics.
Near-Earth asteroids are closely monitored due to their implications for planetary defense. The team utilized ground-based tracking data collected before and during the OSIRIS-REx mission to explore extensions of the Standard Model of physics, encompassing three known fundamental forces.
Since its discovery in 1999, optical and radar astrometric data have precisely constrained the trajectory of the asteroid Bennu. Additionally, the OSIRIS-REx mission provided X-band radiometric and optical navigation tracking data to enhance this understanding.
Sunny Vagnozzi, an assistant professor at the University of Trento in Italy and co-author of the paper, said, “The tight constraints we’ve achieved translate readily to some of the tightest-ever limits on Yukawa-type fifth forces. 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.”
Gravity and various factors influence a celestial object’s trajectory, and understanding these trajectories can help uncover mysteries, mainly when anomalies arise. For instance, Neptune was predicted based on irregularities in Uranus’s orbit.
By analyzing trajectory data from Bennu, scientists established constraints on a possible fifth force and the role of a potential mediating particle, like an ultralight boson. If such a particle exists, it would affect the orbit of asteroids like Bennu, making this tracking data crucial for physics.
An ultralight boson could represent an extension of the Standard Model, potentially integrating dark matter and energy suggested by cosmological observations. However, it still needs to be incorporated into the existing framework.
In 2023, Tsai and colleagues first explored the investigation of fifth-force physics with research published in 2023 before their work on Bennu. The team plans to expand their research by tracking the Apophis asteroid, which will come within 20,000 miles of Earth in 2029.
NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft will approach Apophis and collect dust. Observations of Earth’s gravitational influence during the flyby will provide valuable data for the search for fifth-force physics.
Additionally, the team is considering using new space quantum technologies and dedicated space missions to enhance tracking precision and directly search for dark matter.
Journal Reference:
- Tsai, YD., Farnocchia, D., Micheli, M. et al. Constraints on fifth forces and ultralight dark matter from OSIRIS-REx target asteroid Bennu. Commun Phys 7, 311 (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s42005-024-01779-3