A Chinese research team discovers a new particle, opening a new door for the exploration of matter.

On March 17, the LHCb experiment group of CERN announced the discovery of a new particle - the singly charged doubly charmed baryon. This achievement was mainly completed by a research team led by Professor He Jibo from the School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

According to the quark model in particle physics, there are six types of quarks in nature: up quark, down quark, strange quark, charm quark, bottom quark, and top quark. The first three are lighter, while the latter three are heavier. Mesons consist of two quarks, and baryons consist of three quarks, collectively known as hadrons. Protons and neutrons, which are well known, are both baryons.

According to the quark model proposed in the 1960s, there exists a "doubly charmed baryon" composed of two heavy quarks and one light quark. Their properties are peculiar, and they serve as a key "laboratory" for testing human understanding of the strong force and the quark model.

Schematic diagram of the structure of the singly charged doubly charmed baryon

The newly discovered singly charged doubly charmed baryon is a new member of this type of exotic particle. In simple terms, if the doubly charged doubly charmed baryon is considered the "exotic cousin" of the proton, then the newly discovered singly charged doubly charmed baryon can be regarded as the "exotic cousin" of the neutron.

The singly charged doubly charmed baryon consists of two charm quarks and one down quark, forming a natural "isospin partner" with the doubly charged doubly charmed baryon. In this peculiar microscopic world, the electromagnetic force behaves unusually strongly, making the singly charged doubly charmed baryon containing a heavier down quark lighter than the doubly charged doubly charmed baryon containing a lighter up quark. Precise measurement of this phenomenon will provide key data for humanity's deeper understanding of the fundamental composition of matter and its interactions.

Schematic diagram of the proton family

This discovery of a new particle will further deepen human understanding of the strong interaction and the quark model, and open up new avenues for discovering more new particles and exploring the deep structure of matter in the future.

Source: China Central Television

Editor: Liang Chuyu

Original: toutiao.com/article/7618629294163640884/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.