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Kevin McHugh
- 318
- 164
I just heard of these, can somebody explain what they are, how they were discovered, and the implications of their existence?
Tetraquarks are a type of exotic particle made up of four quarks, which are elementary particles that make up protons and neutrons.
Tetraquarks were first theorized in the 1960s, but it wasn't until 2014 that the first evidence of their existence was found by researchers at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. They were able to detect particles that could only be explained by the existence of tetraquarks.
The discovery of tetraquarks challenges our current understanding of the fundamental building blocks of matter. It suggests that there may be more complex structures than just quarks and that our understanding of the strong nuclear force may need to be revised.
Tetraquarks are different from pentaquarks, which are made up of five quarks, and tetraquark molecules, which are made up of two tetraquarks. Tetraquarks are unique in that they are made up of four quarks that are all bound together, rather than being loosely connected like in pentaquarks or tetraquark molecules.
Scientists are continuing to study tetraquarks to better understand their properties and behavior. This includes experiments at various particle accelerators as well as theoretical studies. Further research on tetraquarks could also help us gain a deeper understanding of the strong nuclear force and the structure of matter.