The Xi-sub-b Baryon --A New Particle Discovered at FermiLab

Physicists working at Fermilab’s particle accelerator have confirmed the observation of an entirely new particle — the the Xi-sub-b baryon, formed of three quarks, in different configurations. The proton is a baryon that consists of two up and one down quark, and the neutron is two down and one up. The Xi-sub-b has an up quark, a strange quark (yes, that’s its real name) and a heavy bottom quark (again, real name), meaning that it weighs around six times as much as a proton or neutron.

Its existence has been predicted for some time, but hadn’t previously been observed, traveling a fraction of a millimeter before decaying into lighter particles. Fermilab overcame its elusiveness nature after smashing together almost 500 trillion sets of particles. Researchers were able to verify the particle’s existence multiple times over. The Xi-sub-b has been spotted 25 times.

Fermilab’s Tevatron, where the Xi-sub-b was discovered, is based in Illinois in the United States, and was the highest-energy particle accelerator in the world until the Large Hadron Collider opened below Geneva.

The Daily Galaxy via FermiLab

Image credit Quarks: http://sdsu-physics.org/physics180/physics180B/Chapters/phys180Bch31.html

Comments

[Bob Greenwade]

I was curious about the xi-sub-b's properties (its weight -- or, more properly, mass -- is the only thing mentioned here), so I went to the Fermilab site and did a search.

Its charge is neutral, making it comparable to a neutron. And it quickly decays into lighter particles.

As far as I can tell, the only benefit we get from observing the xi-sub-b is a confirmation of certain mathematical models of how the universe is put together. But it would be interesting if someone could figure out a way to, for example, stabilize it and build matter from it.

[89118]

500 trillion sets to 25 units, wow. Goodbye Tevatron, I hardly knew ye. Sorry about the Republicans.

[the kicker of elves]

@bob
making stuff out of Xi-sub-b isnt what is important; not even pratical. but confirming how matter can form into particals and what types of particals and what there properties is important for confirming mathimatical models of the universe.
especially, say around or shortly after the big bang, when particals like Xi-sub-b would of been more common.

[YakVoo]

that looks like it might jsut work.

www.net-privacy.us.tc

[Huston]

"Sorry about the Republicans"? I think it was both parties that spent us into a debt that our great-grandchildren can't even pay. No money = no funding. It sucks but there must be painful sacrifices. Don't like it, fire the jerks.
About what is most important: isn't it to find out how the like-charge protons in atoms don't fly apart? Could this new particle help explain some combination of quarks that hold together despite overall charge?

[Huston]

"Sorry about the Republicans"? I think it was both parties that spent us into a debt that our great-grandchildren can't even pay. No money = no funding. It sucks but there must be painful sacrifices. Don't like it, fire the jerks.
About what is most important: isn't it to find out how the like-charge protons in atoms don't fly apart? Could this new particle help explain some combination of quarks that hold together despite overall charge?

[Lance]

What Fermilab is doing, along with the LHC, is highly important. Most particle physicists tend to gear more toward particle interaction, but there is an equally important aspect of these collisions geared toward determining what the early life of our universe was like. This aspect becomes increasingly important the closer you get to the Big Bang, specifically the TOE (theory of everything) state. In this state, the forces of the universe have not yet become separate and function interdependently. If we can determine how this stage of the early universe worked, then we can create a true theory of everything present, i.e answering questions like "why is the universe expanding?" or "will there be a Big Crunch?".

Unfortunately, there is a contradiction in trying to explain the biggest of things using the smallest of things. This is where dimension and strings start to play a pivotal role in explaining why and how the biggest of things can be related to the smallest of things. It is just hard to make uncertainty explain certainty.

[Adidas Panda Shoes]

fretting hand in the father’s fretting hand