Double-charm tetraquark

Double-charm tetraquark
Classificationmeson
Composition2 charm quarks
1 up antiquark
1 down antiquark
Statisticsbosonic
Familyhadron
Mass3868±124 MeV/c2[1]
Mean lifetime1.35+0.31
−0.21
×10−21 s
[1]
Electric charge+1
Spin1+[1]
Isospin0[2]

The double-charm tetraquark (T+
cc
, ccud) is a type of long-lived tetraquark that was discovered in 2021 in the LHCb experiment conducted at the Large Hadron Collider.[3][4][2][5] It contains four quarks: two charm quarks, an anti-up and an anti-down quark.[1]

It has a theoretical computed mass of 3868±124 MeV/c2.[1] The discovery showed an exceptionally strong peak, with 20-sigma significance.[6]

It is hypothesized that studying the behavior of the double-charm tetraquark may play a part in explaining the behavior of the strong force.[7] Following the discovery of the T+
cc
, researchers now plan experiments to find its double-beauty counterpart Tbb.[8] This tetraquark has been found to have a longer lifespan than most known exotic-matter particles.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Agaev, S.S.; Azizi, K.; Sundu, H. (February 2022). "Newly observed exotic doubly charmed meson ". Nuclear Physics B. 975: 115650. arXiv:2108.00188. doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2022.115650. S2CID 236772263.
  2. ^ a b Aaij, R.; Abdelmotteleb, A. S. W.; Abellán Beteta, C.; Abudinen Gallego, F. J.; Ackernley, T.; Adeva, B.; Adinolfi, M.; Afsharnia, H.; Agapopoulou, C.; Aidala, C. A.; Aiola, S. (2022-06-16). "Observation of an exotic narrow doubly charmed tetraquark". Nature Physics. 18 (7): 751–754. arXiv:2109.01038. Bibcode:2022NatPh..18..751L. doi:10.1038/s41567-022-01614-y. ISSN 1745-2481. S2CID 237385202.
  3. ^ "What to Know About the Newly Discovered Tetraquark at the Large Hadron Collider". Gizmodo. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  4. ^ "Twice the charm: long-lived exotic particle discovered". CERN. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  5. ^ Aaij, R.; Abdelmotteleb, A. S. W.; Beteta, C. Abellán; Gallego, F. J. Abudinen; Ackernley, T.; Adeva, B.; Adinolfi, M.; Afsharnia, H.; Agapopoulou, C.; Aidala, C. A.; Aiola, S. (2022-06-16). "Study of the doubly charmed tetraquark T⁺_cc". Nature Communications. 13 (1): 3351. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-30206-w. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 9203551. PMID 35710739.
  6. ^ "LHCb experiment spots extraordinary double charmed tetraquark". Nikhef. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  7. ^ Wood, Charlie (2021-09-27). "'Impossible' Particle Discovery Adds Key Piece to the Strong Force Puzzle". Quanta Magazine. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  8. ^ Turner, Ben (2021-08-05). "New 'doubly charming' particle could help unlock the secrets of how matter is built". livescience.com. Retrieved 2021-09-27.