CERN Celebrates One Year of W-Boson's New Mass Measurement

Ashutosh Kotwal smiles at the camera

On April 7, 2022 the CDF Collaboration team led by Ashutosh Kotwal, Fritz London Distinguished Professor of Physics, published the world's most precise measurement of a fundamental particle called the W boson. As explained in quantum theory, this particle mediates the weak nuclear force which causes radioactivity and controls the rate of nuclear fusion in the sun's core.

The measurement has generated widespread attention and scientific scrutiny, not only because of its extreme precision but also because it reveals a whopping "seven sigma" discrepancy with the reigning theory of particle physics, the Standard Model. The Communications Office of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory has estimated that this paper received 850 media mentions. Cosmos Magazine and MSN have selected it in the top-six physics and astronomy results of 2022.

On the occasion of the first anniversary of this paper's publication, Kotwal has been invited to an international workshop at CERN to speak about the measurement techniques and to discuss possible implications for new physics beyond the Standard Model paradigm.

Over the last 27 years, Kotwal has published five world-leading measurements of the W boson mass. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship and the Outstanding Junior Investigator Award from the Department of Energy. He received the Dean's Leadership Award from Duke University and was elected Fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Sciences, India.

Read more about the W-Boson's new measurement.