Rare particles called glueballs actually exist: What are they?
What's the story
A team of around 700 international scientists, led by China, has made a historic discovery by confirming the existence of glueballs. The finding was announced at the International Conference on High Energy Physics in Natal, Brazil. Glueballs are unique particles composed entirely of force and are formed from gluons, which serve as force carriers to bind quarks into larger particles like protons and neutrons.
Matter composition
Protons and neutrons are building blocks of atoms
Protons and neutrons are the building blocks of atoms, which in turn make up all matter in the universe.
For 50 years, scientists have theorized that gluons could form glueballs because they attract each other while carrying the strong force.
However, concrete evidence to support this hypothesis was missing until now.
The Chinese-led team's research finally provided definitive evidence of glueballs using the Beijing Electron Positron Collider II.
Research timeline
Discovery comes after 15 years of research
The groundbreaking discovery of glueballs came after 15 years of research by the international team of scientists.
They used the Beijing Electron Positron Collider II to collide electrons and their antiparticles at nearly light speed, creating J/psi particles.
When these short-lived particles decay, they provide an ideal environment for hunting glueballs, leading to this major scientific breakthrough.