What Scientists Hope to Uncover by Drilling a 5-Kilometer Hole into the Moon

Can the Moon Shed Light on Proton Decay?

For years scientists have argued that protons can fall apart but could never gain solid evidence to back up their claim, Bored Panda reported. To finally resolve the scientific mystery, physicists have proposed making a five-kilometer-deep hole in the moon.  Several experts believe that a hole in the moon could prove whether the proton decay hypothesis is true or not. Scientists think that the lunar rock deep down the moon's surface has shielded protons from other reactions and an analysis of the rock could reveal if the protons can decay on their own without outside influence.

Unreliable  Standard Model of Particle Physics

The standard model that suggests that protons are stable and live forever has received criticism for not being able to unite quantum mechanics with Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity which describes gravity, as per Bored Panda. In 1967, Andrei Sakharov argued against the accepted nature of protons in the scientific community and claimed that the protons do decay into kaons. Despite several experimental efforts, the proton decay theory remained inconclusive for experts. Now Patrick Stengel from the National Institute of Nuclear Physics in Ferrara, Italy, and his colleagues want to take the examinations beyond Earth and want to conduct research on the moon. They propose digging a five-kilometer-deep hole into the lunar surface to find ancient protons and analyze their current state. 

Evidence Embedded in the Lunar Rock

Stengel believes that lunar rocks several feet below the surface hold decayed proton within them, Bored Panda reported. His belief hinges on the fact that there might be a protective shield deep down in the moon's surface, which would prevent the rock and by extension the protons from getting altered due to look-alike reactions caused by things such as high-energy neutrinos. The team thinks that in their most natural state, the protons are bound to break down and that could prove Sakharov's theory.

What Does the Examination Involve

The team has concluded that the most optimal sample can be obtained from a depth of five kilometers, Bored Panda reported. To facilitate this, a powerful drill must first be transported to the moon, and then 100 grams of Lunar rock should be extracted for testing. The drill needs to be accompanied by advanced microscopy equipment so that the proton can be observed right then and there. Bringing the sample to the Earth is not an option, since cosmic rays can impact it on the way back.

What do the Experts Say?

David Waters, Professor of Physics at University College London found the idea appealing, according to Bored Panda. Waters believes that this process is more appealing than the experiments being conducted currently to prove proton decay. “Instead of having detectors that weigh thousands of tonnes and operating them for a few years, you look at small mineral samples, perhaps only tens or hundreds of grams, and they might have been recording in their structure particle interactions over hundreds of millions of years,” he explained.