How particle breakups could connect phenomena from biology to cosmology

• Numerous areas of science are wrestling with problems whose solutions have eluded them for decades.
• Professor Ken Naitoh at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, argues that these mysteries persist because scientists haven’t fully considered the deeper underlying connections between their fields.
• Through his research, Naitoh shows how numerous natural processes involve particles breaking up in distinctive universal patterns.
• His discoveries could lead to new advances in areas ranging from cosmology to mental health.

Decades-long mysteries persist across virtually every branch of science. On subatomic scales, they are found in quantum entanglement – where the fates of two or more particles can be intrinsically intertwined. In biology, mysteries emerge in the intricate connections which form between neurons in our brains, and the cell-to-cell mechanisms which allow cancer to spread so quickly. On cosmological scales, the nature and abundance of dark matter continues to elude astronomers and experimental physicists alike.

In each of these widely varying cases, solutions remain elusive despite decades of dedicated research. According to Professor Ken Naitoh at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, the main reason why all of these mysteries continue to persist is that we simply haven’t been searching for the universal laws which connect them.

Classifying breakups

Naitoh began his career studying the behaviour of liquid fuel droplets in combustion engines. Specifically, he examined how breakups and collisions between droplets can be predicted using models of fluid dynamics. As he explored these behaviours, he began to realise that the relevance of his discoveries stretched far beyond his own field of research.

This understanding stemmed from the fact that all systems in nature are composed of particles in some form – whether they are quarks, atoms, molecules, droplets, cells, stars, galaxies, neural networks, or social groups. As they break up and fuse together, these particles adopt asymmetrical or symmetrical, ‘gourd-like’ shapes, featuring a pair of connected lumps of differing or identical size.

Previously, researchers have mainly studied these breakups by considering simple structures such as spheres and strings. In contrast, Naitoh’s observations clearly showed that gourds offer a far more accurate description. As they break apart, these gourds exist in a state of ‘quasi-stability’, meaning they break up slowly enough to be considered stable in the short term, but nonetheless break up in the longer term, releasing energy in the process. With this principle in mind, Naitoh proposes that all particle breakups can be classified into three possible modes.

A closer consideration of this universality could help researchers to answer some of their most long-standing questions.

The first of these quasi-stable modes is named ‘breakup-collision’. According to Naitoh, it underlies processes including the aggregation of protons and neutrons into atomic nuclei, the formation of complex biomolecules like DNA and proteins, and even the breakup of stars during supernovae. Secondly, the ‘expansion-compression’ mode is relevant to describing objects which develop inside a larger object, such as an unborn baby growing inside a mother, or organs like the brain, which change in structure as we age. Finally, the ‘excitatory-inhibitory’ mode can relate to self-replication behaviour, such as the growth of living cells, as well as economic and social systems, and networks of neurons in the brain.

Missing universal connections

Each of these modes is characterised by patterns of kinks in the sections of the gourds separating both lumps, which will appear at different stages of the quasi-stable breakup process. While also considering indeterminacy, the masses, sizes, and overall diversity of these lumps can be predicted using ‘fractal’ patterns: intricate geometric shapes defined by simple mathematical and dynamical constraints of quasi-stability.

Drawing from this concept, Naitoh has now made a case for explaining why so many pressing scientific questions have gone unresolved so far. Today, many key scientific principles apply only to specific fields of research: first devised by brilliant scientists like Newton for classical gravity; Schrödinger for quantum mechanics; and Boltzmann for thermodynamics.

Despite applying to different branches of science, these theories all hinge on the conservation of properties including mass, momentum, and energy. All the same, Naitoh believes that researchers still don’t fully appreciate just how deeply these fields are connected, and how a closer consideration of this universality could help them to answer some of their most long-standing questions.

All systems in nature are composed of particles in some form. As they break up and fuse together, these particles adopt asymmetrical or symmetrical, ‘gourd-like’ shapes.

Considering breakup timings

Through his research, Naitoh argues that these difficulties persist because researchers today mainly focus on orderly durations before and after the breakups of the various particles they study – although sizes of child particles, ie, the resulting particles after breakups, are determined at breakup timing as the rate-controlling step. As a result, the theories available today can only a reveal a narrow range of certain universal quantities like mass, momentum, or energy.

In fact, a far more realistic picture can be gained by considering the breakup of quasi-stable gourd structures, and the difference or sameness in size between each lump – while considering whether each breakup should be classified as breakup-collision, expansion-compression, or excitatory-inhibitory.

From cutting-edge science to everyday life

By taking on a more all-encompassing picture of particle breakup, Naitoh ultimately hopes that new solutions will be found to a wide array of scientific mysteries which have stood firm for decades. In one study, Naitoh describes how a more complete picture of the behaviours of atomic nuclei could lead to new breakthroughs in cold fusion. This would enable nuclei to fuse together at temperatures and pressures achievable in ordinary industrial settings on Earth – providing a practically limitless source of clean energy.

Elsewhere, Naitoh’s principles could also lead to a better understanding of how our mental health is linked to patterns in the neural networks in our brains – potentially leading to new treatments for conditions including depression and more. Ultimately, Naitoh hopes his work will help us to deepen our understanding of how the universe works, while helping us to lead happier, healthier lives.