To the Cern of Geneva was observed for the first time one rare form of decay of the Higgs boson That, if confirmedcould provide a indirect evidence of as yet unknown particlesnot foreseen by the standard reference theory of physics: in particular, experiments Atlas And cms they managed to see, by joining forces, the Higgs boson transform into a couple formed by a photon, the particle of light, and a Z boson, the ‘heavy’ brother of the photon.
The result was presented by the Atlas and Cms experiments at the LHC Physics Conference, which was held in Belgrade from 22 to 26 May. “This is an important step forward in understanding the rare phenomena linked to the Higgs boson,” Roberto Tenchini of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics, president of the National Scientific Commission 1 for particle physics, told ANSA. “It indicates that the sensitivity of the experiments is increasing more and more – adds Tenchini – making it possible to observe events of this type, which are fundamental because they can be indications of a new physics or they can be further confirmations of the one we know”.
The researchers of the Atlas and Cms experiments joined forces to try to maximize the results obtained separately during the second phase of data collection of the LHC, which took place between 2015 and 2018: the collaboration, in fact, significantly increased the statistical precision and the extent of the analyses, even if the observation cannot yet be confirmed on the basis of these data. For confirmation, we will have to wait for the data collection in progress, thanks to the third cycle that began in recent months: “I think that within a couple of years, by 2025, we will have the data we need”, comments Roberto Tenchini, who he contributed to the construction of Cms and was national manager of the experiment from 2015 to 2017.
Another observation, this time confirmed, which could keep the key to a new physics had been presented in March 2023 again by the two joint experiments: “In that case the simultaneous production of four top quarks had been observed – says Tenchini – an even more interesting rare phenomenon”. The top quark is by far the most massive elementary particle, with a mass approaching that of the atomic nucleus of gold, and is therefore the particle that has the strongest bond with the Higgs boson. The production of top four quarks is very rare, because they usually come in pairs of quarks and antiquarks (the antiparticles of quarks), and also very difficult to detect. “It is significant that two experiments that normally collect data independently, and are therefore in competition with each other, can also collaborate – says Tenchini – to try to learn something more”.
Source: Ansa
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