Elusive 'Exotic Hadrons' Really Do Exist, CERN Research Shows

[hue]

Source: HUFF POST Science

The existence of exotic hadrons — a type of matter that doesn't fit within the traditional model of particle physics — has now been confirmed, scientists say.

Hadrons are subatomic particles made up of quarks and antiquarks (which have the same mass as their quark counterparts, but opposite charge), which interact via the "strong force" that binds protons together inside the nuclei of atoms.

Researchers working on the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) collaboration at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Switzerland — where the elusive Higgs boson particle was discovered in 2012 — announced today (April 14) they had confirmed the existence of a new type of hadron, with an unprecedented degree of statistical certainty. [Standard Model of Particle Physics Explained (Inforgraphic)]

"We've confirmed the unambiguous observation of a very exotic state — something that looks like a particle composed of two quarks and two antiquarks," study co-leader Tomasz Skwarnicki, a high-energy physicist at Syracuse University in New York said in a statement. The discovery "may give us a new way of looking at strong-[force] interaction physics," he added.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/15/exotic-hadrons-exist-cern_n_5153111.html

[Kablooie]

1. That's cool but why do I keep reading "exotic hard ons?"

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. I do it too. :^P

[packman]

3. Obviously you've been to Bangkok

or Teaquina . This is science, man. SCIENCE- get your mind out of the gutter.

[AtheistCrusader]

9. Some of my best science happens in the gutter...

[Laffy Kat]

4. I did the same thing!!

And I'm not even dyslexic--maybe just a dirty mind? LOL

[YOHABLO]

6. LOL I just knew somebody was going to go there.

[onehandle]

7. That's all I saw. nt

[7962]

8. Dammit!!!! I was too late!

[Nye Bevan]

12. If your exotic hadron lasts for more than 4 hours,

consult a particle physicist (nt)

[awoke_in_2003]

13. I do the same thing...

every time I read "Large Hadron Collider"

[Fuddnik]

5. I almost bought one.

I decided to go with the Ford instead.

[AverageJoe90]

10. DUzy. =)

[displacedtexan]

11. This is not news.

I learned all about "exotic particles" during most of an entire season of "Eureka," the TV show. I got sick of hearing everyone repeat "exotic particles" every few minutes for weeks and weeks!

Seriously, this is really cool!