Unexplained energy in nuclear process

[LHarriger]

I was talking to a guy the other day who said that back in 1954 he worked for the military on nuclear reactors (or something along those lines). He said that back then there were nuclear processes where all of the energy could not be accounted for. This missing or extra energy was very small and they used the symbol $\zeta$ to represent it. Since then he has not been involved in physics and still doesn't know what this energy term was due to. I told him it was probably due to not including neutrinos in the processes but he said they took those into account. Does anyone know what this energy is from?

 

[LHarriger]

Sorry, that's the wrong symbol. It wa xi, $\xi$ that they used.

 

[sir-pinski]

The unexplained energy in nuclear processes is a well-known phenomenon in the field of nuclear physics. It is commonly referred to as the "missing energy" or "extra energy" problem. This issue has been studied extensively by scientists and researchers, and there are several theories that attempt to explain this discrepancy.

One possible explanation is that the energy is being lost in the form of neutrinos, which are extremely small and difficult to detect particles. However, as your acquaintance mentioned, neutrinos were already taken into account in their calculations, so this may not fully explain the missing energy.

Another theory is that the energy is being converted into other forms, such as kinetic energy of the particles or radiation. This is known as the "energy balance problem" and is still an area of active research.

It is also possible that there may be some unknown particles or processes at play that we are not yet aware of, which could account for the missing energy. This is an exciting possibility that could lead to new discoveries and advancements in the field of nuclear physics.

In conclusion, the unexplained energy in nuclear processes is a well-known and ongoing issue in the field, and while there are several theories attempting to explain it, there is still much to be discovered and understood. It is a reminder that there is always more to learn and explore in the world of science.