Wednesday, July 02, 2003
The Pentaquark?
The BBC is reporting that physicists have discovered a new class of subatomic particle that will provide unexpected insights into the fundamental building blocks of matter.
The discovery involves quarks - particles that make up the protons and neutrons usually found in the nuclei of atoms. The new particle is the so-called pentaquark - five quarks in formation. Until now, physicists had only seen quarks packed into two- or three-quark combinations. They say the discovery of this new particle should have far-reaching consequences for our understanding of the Universe is put together.
The discovery involves quarks - particles that make up the protons and neutrons usually found in the nuclei of atoms. The new particle is the so-called pentaquark - five quarks in formation. Until now, physicists had only seen quarks packed into two- or three-quark combinations. They say the discovery of this new particle should have far-reaching consequences for our understanding of the Universe is put together.
