Daily Science Theory Update: Top Quarks were created in CERN!

Dec '24 (edited) • Research & Science Fair

Researchers recently discovered top quarks in the LHC (Large Hadron Collider).

Quarks are what protons are composed of which come in different levels depending on their mass. There're six different quarks being the up quark being the lightest and the top quark is the heaviest. The heavier quarks are very difficult to find because they decay to lighter ones. The top quark decays in .5 yocto seconds which is 5 * (10^(-25)) seconds!!!

The top quark was discovered when the nuclei of the lead atoms were being collided in extreme speeds. As you know there are many states of matter one of them being Quark-gluon plasma which is like plasma, but it's broken down even more. This type of plasma existed during the dawn of time at the big bang. The top quark can let us look more into properties of plasma. This is a massive step to let us know more about the quantum world and about big bang theory.

For more information check this link:

atlas.cern/Updates/Briefing/Observation-Top-PbPb

Thank you for reading, more will be coming

Sources:

MLA 8 format

“Atlas Observes Top Quarks in Lead-Lead Collisions.” ATLAS, atlas.cern/Updates/Briefing/Observation- Top-PbPb. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

0 comments