Physicists Detect Rare Particle Decay, Advancing Understanding of Matter
Researchers using the BESIII detector observed the first-ever decay of exotic particles called chi_cJ into pairs of lambda particles and omega mesons—a finding confirmed with exceptional statistical certainty. The discovery refines the map of how subatomic particles behave, potentially informing future particle detector designs and fundamental physics research that underpins advanced materials and energy technologies.
Originaltitel: Study of the decays χ <sub>cJ</sub> → Λ ¯Λω
<p>Using (27.12±0.14)×108 𝜓(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector, we present the first observation of the decays 𝜒𝑐𝐽 →Λ¯Λ𝜔, where 𝐽 =0, 1, 2, with statistical significances of 11.7𝜎, 11.2𝜎, and 11.8𝜎. The branching fractions of these decays are determined to be ℬ(𝜒𝑐0→Λ¯Λ𝜔)=(2.37±0.22±0.25)×10−4, ℬ(𝜒𝑐1→Λ¯Λ𝜔)=(1.01±0.10±0.11)×10−4, and ℬ(𝜒𝑐2→Λ¯Λ𝜔)=(1.40±0.13±0.17)×10−4, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. We observe no clear intermediate structures.</p>