CERN has detected extremely rare particle decay for the first time

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is closed for refurbishment until later this year. But that doesn't discontinue the findings from flooding in. While examining through data from 2011 and 2012, particle physicists have discovered convincing data for a fresh, formerly unobserved decay channel. The pre-published paper can be found in Nature. The LHC accelerates protons, naturally located at the center of an atom, and directs them zooming around its spherical compartment deep underground. When the protons strike, they annihilate—converting from matter into unadulterated energy. Then, among the discordance of senseless energy that's vanishing in and out of reality all around the reaction chamber, particles start to appear, vanish and manifest themselves again. This pathway that the proton's energy takes through particles is termed as decay channel.

 

Image credit: Particle Collision in LHC (Large Hadron Collider) by general-fmv via Shutterstock

It might seem casual, but the channels that go from proton to fresh particle are verbalized seriously by mathematics. Physicists can even forecast how probable a decay channel is. Few are much less likely than others, which is why it can take quite a long time to spot them. Just like this recently discovered decay.  The decay in query starts with two protons destroying each other. From the remainder energy, a particle called a strange B meson bursts into existence. This strange B meson is unbalanced, so it then converts into two muons: a negative muon and a positive muon. Muons are the marginally heavier companion of the electron. The physicists also cautiously propose that they have detected an even rarer decay: a proton decomposing into a B meson (as an alternative of a strange B meson), which then decays into a positive muon and negative muon duo. Though, their certainty is inferior for this interaction.

This thrilling discovery was made from a cooperation of two previous CERN experiments: The Large Hadron Collider Beauty experimentation (LHCb) and the Compact Muon Solenoid experimentation (CMS), which are both issued in the Physical Review Letters. Both of these papers noted the strange B to muon pair decay, but separately the outcomes weren't important enough. However, when united, the discovery became obvious.

LHCb representative Guy Wilkinson said: "It is testament to the excellent performance of the LHC, and the sensitivity of our experiments, that we have been finally able to observe this extremely rare but important decay." Particle physics is a distinctive field where hundreds of researchers have to work together and share to make advancement. It's striking to see this collaboration in physics, and maybe other fields can pick up from this.