Trending Now - Large Hadron Collider Identifies New Particle

WHO:

Scientists at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research)

LHCb spokesperson Vincenzo Vagnoni

University of Manchester physicist Chris Parkes

University of Warwick professor Tim Gershon

WHAT:

Discovery of a new particle named Xi-cc-plus

The Xi-cc-plus particle consists of two charm quarks and one down quark

The new particle is four times as heavy as a regular proton

This is the first new particle identified after upgrades to the LHCb detector completed in 2023

Only the second time a baryon with two heavy quarks has been observed

The LHC has discovered 80 new hadrons to date

WHERE:

CERN’s Large Hadron Collider located near Geneva, Switzerland

WHEN:

Upgrades to the LHCb detector were completed in 2023

The first baryon with two heavy quarks was observed almost ten years ago (approximately 2016)

The previous particle resembling Xi-cc-plus was discovered in 2017

WHY:

The discovery will help theorists test models of quantum chromodynamics, the theory of the strong force that binds quarks

HOW:

The LHC uses copious amounts of energy to fire hadrons together to produce exotic subatomic particles

The LHCb experiment specializes in the detection of heavy particles that contain bottom and charm quarks

(UPDATED March 22, 2026 01:39 UTC)

Scientists at CERN have announced the discovery of a new particle named Xi-cc-plus, which consists of two charm quarks and one down quark, making it four times heavier than a regular proton. This exciting find is the first new particle identified following upgrades to the LHCb detector completed in 2023 and marks only the second time a baryon with two heavy quarks has been observed. The discovery will aid theorists in testing models of quantum chromodynamics, the theory that explains the strong force binding quarks together.