Scientists At Cern Observe 3 'Exotic' Particles For 1st Time

Scientists using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have discovered three previously unseen subatomic particles as they try to unravel the building elements of the universe, according to the European nuclear research center CERN on Tuesday, Michael Shields reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: CERN scientists have discovered a new type of "pentaquark" and the first-ever pair of "tetraquarks," bringing the total number of new hadrons discovered at the LHC to three.

The 27-kilometer-long (16.8-mile-long) LHC at CERN in St. Genis-Pouilly discovered the Higgs boson particle, which, together with its associated energy field, is thought to be critical to the development of the universe following the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.

CERN scientists have discovered a new type of "pentaquark" and the first-ever pair of "tetraquarks," bringing the total number of new hadrons discovered at the LHC to three. They will aid physicists in better understanding how quarks interact to form composite particles.

Quarks are elementary particles that join in groups of twos and threes to generate hadrons, such as the protons and neutrons that comprise atomic nuclei. They can, on rare occasions, combine to form four-quark and five-quark particles, as well as tetraquarks and pentaquarks.

"The more analyses we perform, the more kinds of exotic hadrons we find," said physicist Niels Tuning in a statement.

"We're witnessing a period of discovery similar to the 1950s, when a 'particle zoo' of hadrons started being discovered and ultimately led to the quark model of conventional hadrons in the 1960s. We're creating 'particle zoo 2.0.”

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