In recent weeks, CERN has delivered two results worth paying attention to. The LHCb experiment discovered a long-sought particle. The BASE experiment, for the first time in history, transported antiprotons outside the laboratory.
The particle Ξcc⁺ and what it makes possible
The LHCb experiment at CERN has discovered a new particle: Ξcc⁺. It is the second member of a pair of related baryons, both containing two so-called charm quarks and differing in just one detail of their internal structure. And that is precisely what makes the discovery significant.
Two very similar states can be compared, allowing physicists to filter out much of the background noise. Only with the complete pair do they get a much cleaner view of the problem. Read the article by scientist Tomáš Jakoubek.
Antimatter transported by truck
The BASE experiment at CERN has, for the first time in history, transported antiprotons outside the laboratory. 92 antiprotons travelled sealed inside a portable magnetic trap on the back of a truck across the CERN site.
It sounds almost mundane. But antimatter annihilates instantly upon contact with ordinary matter: a touch of the container wall or a single air molecule is enough. Transporting it intact is extraordinarily difficult. Tomáš Jakoubek explores this topic in depth in his latest article.