Scientists find mystery particle

By Dr David Whitehouse

Scientists have found a sub-atomic particle they cannot explain using
current theories of energy and matter.
The discovery was made by researchers based at the High Energy
Accelerator Research Organisation in Tsukuba.

Classified as X(3872), the particle was seen fleetingly in an atom
smasher and has been dubbed the "mystery meson".

The Japanese team says understanding its existence may require a change
to the Standard Model, the accepted theory of the way the Universe is
constructed.

An eternity

X(3872) was found among the decay products of so-called beauty mesons -
sub-atomic particles that are produced in large numbers at the Tsukuba
"meson factory".

It weighs about the same as a single atom of helium and exists for only
about one billionth of a trillionth of a second before it decays into
other longer-lived, more familiar particles.

Although this is extremely short-lived by human standards, scientists
say that a billionth of a trillionth of a second is nearly an eternity
for a sub-atomic particle this heavy.

Particles smaller than the atom are grouped into families depending upon
their mass, spin and electric charge.

But X(3872) is peculiar in that it does not fit easily into any known
particle scheme and, as a result, has attracted a considerable amount of
attention from the world's physics community.

New pairs

Its discovery was recently confirmed by researchers at the Fermi
National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois, US, home of the Tevatron,
the world's largest atom smasher. It was the US outfit that gave X(3872)
its mystery tag.

A normal meson is comprised of a quark and an antiquark held together by
the "colour" force, also called the "strong" force because it is the
most powerful known in nature.

The large variety of meson particles that have been found to date
reflect the many different ways that these combinations can be achieved.

However, again, X(3872) does not match theoretical expectations for any
conceivable quark-antiquark arrangement.

To explain it, theoretical physicists may have to modify their theory of
the colour force; or make X(3872) the first example of a new type of
meson, one that is made from four quarks (two quarks and two
antiquarks).

From BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3277579.stm

Comment:
May I suggest a name for the new particle: Nobigbangium?

--
Kind Regards,
Robert Karl Stonjek.

Robert Karl Stonjek wrote:

Scientists find mystery particle

By Dr David Whitehouse

Scientists have found a sub-atomic particle they cannot explain using
current theories of energy and matter.

If one looks at the last sentence of the article, one sees that this
claim is wrong.


The discovery was made by researchers based at the High Energy
Accelerator Research Organisation in Tsukuba.

Classified as X(3872), the particle was seen fleetingly in an atom
smasher and has been dubbed the "mystery meson".

The Japanese team says understanding its existence may require a change
to the Standard Model, the accepted theory of the way the Universe is
constructed.

"may". Look at the last sentence: there is an easy explanation.


An eternity

X(3872) was found among the decay products of so-called beauty mesons -
sub-atomic particles that are produced in large numbers at the Tsukuba
"meson factory".

It weighs about the same as a single atom of helium and exists for only
about one billionth of a trillionth of a second before it decays into
other longer-lived, more familiar particles.

Although this is extremely short-lived by human standards, scientists
say that a billionth of a trillionth of a second is nearly an eternity
for a sub-atomic particle this heavy.

Particles smaller than the atom are grouped into families depending upon
their mass, spin and electric charge.

But X(3872) is peculiar in that it does not fit easily into any known
particle scheme

Note: "not easily" does not mean "not at all".


and, as a result, has attracted a considerable amount of
attention from the world's physics community.

New pairs

Its discovery was recently confirmed by researchers at the Fermi
National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois, US, home of the Tevatron,
the world's largest atom smasher. It was the US outfit that gave X(3872)
its mystery tag.

A normal meson is comprised of a quark and an antiquark held together by
the "colour" force, also called the "strong" force because it is the
most powerful known in nature.

The large variety of meson particles that have been found to date
reflect the many different ways that these combinations can be achieved.

However, again, X(3872) does not match theoretical expectations for any
conceivable quark-antiquark arrangement.

Well, as pointed out below, there are other combinations possible than
only quark-antiquark pairs.


To explain it, theoretical physicists may have to modify their theory of
the colour force; or make X(3872) the first example of a new type of
meson, one that is made from four quarks (two quarks and two
antiquarks).

See? A nice explanation which violated nothing in the Standard Model. Or
is there anything in the SM which says that mesons consisting of two
quarks and two antiquarks can't exist? That would be news to me.


From BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3277579.stm

Comment:
May I suggest a name for the new particle: Nobigbangium?

Why? What on earth has this to do with the Big Bang?


Bye,
Bjoern