CERN's large particle accelerator detects 3 new subatomic particles

On July 5, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) said that scientists working on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) had discovered three previously unknown subatomic particles, consisting of a new type of pentaquark and a pair of tetraquarks observed for the first time.

The new pentaquark is illustrated as a pair of standard hadrons bound together in a molecular-like structure.

CERN's large particle accelerator is the machine that found the Higgs boson, a particle thought to have played an important role in the formation of the universe after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.

Scientists at CERN say they have observed a new type of pentaquark and a previously unknown pair of tetraquarks, adding these three to the list of hadrons detected through the Machine. great particle acceleration.

They will help physicists better understand how quarks bind together to form composite particles.

Quarks are elementary particles that often connect with each other in combinations of 2 and 3 to form hadrons such as protons and neutrons - the particles that make up the nucleus of an atom.

However, in rarer cases, these quarks can bind together in combinations of 4 and 5 particles, also known as tetraquarks and pentaquarks.

"The more analyzes we do, the more exotic types of hadrons we discover," said Niels Tuning, a physicist at CERN.