CERN scientists observe 3 ‘exotic’ new particles as Large Hadron Collider comes back online
- Researchers have discovered a new kind of ‘pentaquark’ and the first-ever pair of ‘tetraquarks’ as they seek to unlock the building blocks of the universe
- The news comes as the 27km-long LHC begins ‘Run 3’ of collisions, after a three-year pause for maintenance and checks
Scientists working with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have discovered three subatomic particles never seen before as they work to unlock the building blocks of the universe, the European nuclear research centre CERN said on Tuesday.
The 27km-long (16.8 mile) LHC at CERN is the machine that found the Higgs boson particle, which along with its linked energy field is thought to be vital to the formation of the universe after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.
Now scientists at CERN say they have observed a new kind of “pentaquark” and the first-ever pair of “tetraquarks”, adding three members to the list of new hadrons found at the LHC.
They will help physicists better understand how quarks bind together into composite particles.
Quarks are elementary particles that usually combine in groups of twos and threes to form hadrons such as the protons and neutrons that make up atomic nuclei.