The subatomic particles, Xi b' and Xi b*, are expected to shed new light on the matter comprising the universe

Nov 21, 2014 12:55 GMT  ·  By

Earlier this week, brainiacs with CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) announced the discovery of two never-before-seen subatomic particles, now known to the scientific community as Xi b' and Xi b*.

The two new particles were discovered with the help of the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland. This Collider that CERN currently operates is basically a freakishly big atom smasher. In fact, it's the world's largest installation of this kind.

The Collider works by accelerating two beams of protons to almost the speed of light and then having them smash into one another. As a result of this collision, the protons are broken apart and a heck lot of energy is released.

This energy that is birthed by the collision of protons traveling at almost the speed of light creates what researchers call a shower of new particles, which are then pinned down and analyzed.

In a statement, CERN scientists explain that the two newly discovered subatomic particles each comprise three quarks, i.e. three even smaller particles that brainiacs say are fundamental in the sense that they cannot be broken down any further.

However, because the arrangement of these teeny tiny particles varies ever so slightly, Xi b' and Xi b* have different masses. If they had the same mass, scientists would have probably failed to detect them both.

Physicists expect that, by studying these particles and the other ones coughed out by the Large Hadron Collider, they will manage to gain a better understanding of the matter that is included in the makeup of our universe.

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CERN announces the discovery of two new subatomic particles
These particles can help scientists better understand the universeThe particles were discovered with the help of the Large Hardron Collider
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