Measurements from the LHCb collaboration show how individual quarks come together to form observable matter, challenging previous understanding.
Quarks are the building blocks of visible matter and never found alone. Instead, they combine into composite particles like protons. Nuclear physicists use powerful particle accelerators to study quark behavior and formation of particles. The LHCb experiment discovered unexpected variations in baryon production, defying expectations.
Baryons form atomic nuclei, while mesons quickly decay into lighter particles. The existence of stable baryons and unstable mesons allows for the creation of atoms and our universe. The LHCb experiment found that quarks forming into baryons or mesons depends on their environment’s density.
The strong interaction, described by quantum chromodynamics (QCD), dictates that quarks must be confined. Calculations using QCD can predict heavy quark production but not the fraction emerging as baryons. The LHCb experiment showed that quark density affects baryon formation, requiring revised theoretical models for high-density collisions.
These findings prove additional mechanisms are needed to explain matter formation in dense collision systems, which may have been crucial in the early universe when protons first formed.+
+Source: https://scitechdaily.com/decoding-quark-secrets-new-large-hadron-collider-findings-challenge-old-theories/