Testable hypotheses by Isaac Newton on particle physics
P. C. M. Yock · Physics Essays · 2020
Three hundred years ago, Isaac Newton published a number of hypotheses on the structure of matter, which were ahead of their time by some two centuries. Speculations were made by Newton that may now be interpreted as precursors to fundamental elements of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. General features of the layered structure of matter that is now known to exist in the form of nucleons, nuclei, atoms, molecules, and macromolecules were successfully predicted, and hypotheses on self-similarity, simplicity, and purpose were made. In this essay, Newton’s hypotheses are examined in the light of current understanding of matter at the subnucleonic scale. It is found that his hypotheses of self-similarity, simplicity, and purpose raise questions for the quarks and gluons of the current Standard Model (SM), but that various precursors to the SM are more compliant. Experimental tests of the precursors using the Large Hadron Collider and the proposed Large Hadron Electron Collider at CERN are described that could resolve the situation. In addition, it is suggested that Newton’s hypotheses could serve as the basis for the formulation of one or more “postulates of particle physics” comparable to the postulates on which Einstein based his theories of relativity a century ago.