New Subatomic Particle Sheds Light on Fundamental Force of Nature

Scientists have discovered a new subatomic particle that could shed light on the fundamental force of nature that binds the nuclei of atoms. The particle will provide greater understanding of the strong reaction that's found within the protons of an atom's nucleus.

The new particle is named Ds3*(2860)-, and is a new type of meson. It was first discovered when researchers analyzed the data collected with the LHCb detector at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It's bound together in a similar way to protons. Because of this similarity, it's possible that scientists will be able to study the particle to further understand strong interactions.

"Gravity describes the universe on a large scale from galaxies to Newton's falling apple, whilst the electromagnetic interaction is responsible for binding molecules together and also for holding electrons in orbit around an atom's nucleus," said Tim Gershon, the lead scientist, in a news release. "The strong interaction is the force that binds quarks, the subatomic particles that form protons within atoms, together. It is so strong that the binding energy of the proton gives a much larger contribution to the mass, through Einstein's equation E=mc^2, than the quarks themselves."

Because of the forces' relative simplicity, scientists had previously been able to solve the equations behind gravity and electromagnetic interactions. But the strength of the strong interaction makes it impossible to solve the equations in the same way. This makes the new particle ideal for validating calculations by comparing predictions to experiments.

"Because the Ds3*(2860)- particle contains a heavy charm quark it is easier for theorists to calculate its properties. And because it has spin 3, there can be no ambiguity about what the particle is," said Garshon. "Therefore it provides a benchmark for future theoretical calculations. Improvements in these calculations will transform our understanding of how nuclei are bound together."

The findings are detailed in two papers that will be published in the journals Physical Review Letters and Physical Review D.