Evening star., 1949-12-07
Production of the Glue
Of Creation Increased
Navy Research Physicists Report
On Energy Into Matter Output
By Thomas r. Henry

Oy HOm0S n. Lenfv
Artificial production of mesons-mysteri-
Gus elementary particles which are the "glue"
Of creation-has increased more than 1000
fold during the past year.
This accomplishment by contractors under
the Office Of Naval Research constitutes by
far the greatest transformation Of energy
into matter yet known. It Is, in way, the
reverse process Of the dssion Of the atomic
bomb In which minute specks of matter are
transformed into energy.
Almost literally something is created out
Of nothing.
The meson is something which comes out
Of the nucleus Of an atom. Whether it ex-
listed as tangible object within the nucleus,
however, is quite debatable. Its existence
was predicted just before the war by the
Japanese physicist, Hidaki Yukawa, now at
Columbia and this years Nobel prize winner
tn physics. A little later it actually was
demonstrated in cosmic rays by California
Institute Of Technology physicist.
Two Accepted Kinds.
There are two accepted kinds Of meSons.
First is the pi meson which weighs 280 times
an electron and is what is believed actually
to come out of an atomic nucleus bombarded
with tremendous energies This is what
arrives In cosmic rays at the top Of the
atmosphere.
It exists only 50th Of millionth of a
second. Then 1t changes into a mu meson
with a mass about 210 times that Of an
electron and lifetime Of 2 millionths Of q
second. Then this splits into two hypo-
thetical particles known as neutrinos, as
sumed to exist but never observed, which in
a few nillionths of second are converted
into energy.
There may be three other kinds of mesons.
one with ufespan Of less than a billionth
Of a second. They have been postulated but
never observed. Office Of Naval Research
physicists are skeptical Of them.
Up to year ago these mesons were known
only in cosmic rays Then few were OBJ
served making tracks on Photographic plates
after the bombardment of carbon atoms with
protons In the University Of CALIFORNIA; giant
cyclotron. There were very few of them.
approximately in ratio of hundred mesons
to a million protons. the primary particles
constituting the atomic nucleus. Within the
last few months, Naval Research physicists
say, the order has been reversed and about
q million meSons are being produced to 100
protons.
The significance Of man-made mesons still
is difficult to assess. They are on the frontier
Of the physics Of tomorrow. They are actual
material particles which. according to the
most generally accepted present theory. do
not exist as material particles within the
atomic nucleus but become such for infini-
tesimal fractions Of seconds due to their mo-
mentum when this nucleus is cracked.
Matter has been made out Of energy before,
but on an extremely small scale.
Reverse Of First Process.
But perhaps of even greater significance
Is the vanishing Of the meson into Intangible
energy again. This takes place in two stages
the change Of the pi meson into the lighter
meson and the complete disappearance Of
IA yn,Y irafr in
This is the greatest transmutation Of mat
ter into energy, the reverse Of the first
process yet known on earth. It is exceeded
only in the carbon cycle responsible for the
everlasting fire Of the sun. The implications,
however vague at present. make this produc-
ton Of mesons one of the most significant
developments in physics since the war. In
vestigations are being pushed with vigor.
At first the elusively short-liyed particles
were produced only In the University OF
California cyclotron. Now they are being
created, under Office Of Naval Research con-
tracts, at two other laboratories and by other
and cheaper means. They also are being
extracted, from a variety of materials other
than the pure graphite which was used in
the first experiments. Notable developments
are rumored which have not yet been re-
ported.
Whatever the distant future may hold.
Office Of Naval Research physicists say, the
present major objective Is to obtain from
meson behavior better understanding Of
the structure Of the atomic nucleus itself.