A search for one exotic particle uncovered two strange new structures
A search for one mysterious particle unexpectedly revealed evidence for two different structures that may belong to the bizarre family of exotic subatomic particles known as XYZ states. The findings could help physicists uncover new ways that quarks and gluons combine to create matter.
Physicists have discovered two previously unknown structures while searching for a specific exotic particle. The Gluonic Excitations (GlueX) Collaboration at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility found two signals created when high-energy photons interacted with a proton target. These unexpected findings, published in Physical Review Letters, may aid in understanding the formation of matter and one of nature's fundamental forces.
Researchers had been looking for evidence of a particular particle, designated Y(2175), but instead found two other structures in the vicinity of its mass. This discovery could lead to a better understanding of the exotic particles known as XYZ states, which do not fit the traditional model of particles built from quarks.
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