CERN’s Large Hadron Collider Discovers New Particle ‘Xi-cc-plus’

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has discovered a new subatomic particle named “Xi-cc-plus”, marking the 80th particle identified by the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, according to CERN.

Scientists say the newly discovered particle is similar to a proton but nearly four times heavier, and could provide fresh insights into the complex behaviour of quantum mechanics.

What is Xi-cc-plus?

• It is a type of baryon, a class of particles that includes protons and neutrons.
• Baryons are made up of three fundamental particles called quarks.
• The Xi-cc-plus consists of two “charm” quarks and one “down” quark.

In comparison, a normal proton contains two “up” quarks and one “down” quark. The presence of two heavier charm quarks makes the Xi-cc-plus significantly more massive.

Why is this important?

Quarks exist in six “flavours” — up, down, charm, strange, top, and bottom — and can combine in numerous ways to form different baryons. However, many such combinations are extremely rare and difficult to detect. The discovery of Xi-cc-plus helps scientists better understand how these fundamental building blocks interact and behave.

Notably, this is the first particle discovered after the 2023 upgrade of the LHCb detector, enhancing the collider’s sensitivity and precision.

About the LHC

The Large Hadron Collider is a 27-kilometre-long underground ring located about 100 metres beneath the border of France and Switzerland. It is best known for confirming the existence of the Higgs boson, often referred to as the “God particle.”

Source: TH