CERN's toponium discovery may redefine particle physics
Scientists from CERN have discovered a signal that may indicate the existence of a new type of matter. The hypothetical particle, known as toponium, could be the smallest component of reality ever observed, and this discovery could revolutionise particle physics.
Researchers at CERN, analysing data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), have detected a mysterious phenomenon that suggests the existence of a new kind of matter. The toponium particle appears to form as a result of the merging of top quarks into a single object and may prove to be the smallest particle ever observed. The discovery of this enigmatic component of reality could alter the way physicists explore the quantum boundary.
What is toponium?
Matter is everything that has mass and occupies space. In the world of physics, this means that every object we can touch or measure is made up of atoms, which are composed of quarks. Theories have proposed the existence of particles like toponium, but until now it seemed unlikely that this state could be observed in the Large Hadron Collider. This skepticism stemmed from the fact that top quarks are the most massive and exceptionally short-lived elementary particles.
In the Large Hadron Collider, scientists cause protons to collide, producing pairs of quarks and their antiparticles, the antimatter counterparts. These are known as tt-bar pairs. Through this process, researchers test the Standard Model, which, although a comprehensive theory, is still regarded as incomplete.
Unstable states of matter
If toponium is confirmed, it would represent another example of quarkonium, or unstable quark-antiquark states. However, physicists argue that this discovery would be unique. According to the SciTech Daily portal, charmonium and bottomonium were previously discovered, but toponium, due to its mass, would be the smallest known hadron.
The CMS team analysed data from 2016 to 2018 and noticed an abundance of top quark pairs at the minimum energy required for their production. This prompted them to hypothesise the existence of toponium, although other explanations remain possible. The CMS and ATLAS teams are currently working together to examine this phenomenon more thoroughly, as it remains an open scientific question.
