Cambridge Scientists Detect 10-Billion-to-1 Quark Decay as UK Threatens £150 Million LHC Upgrade
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Nov 3
Cambridge Scientists Detect 10-Billion-to-1 Quark Decay as UK Threatens £150 Million LHC Upgrade
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Nov 3
Summary
Cambridge-led physicists at CERN detected an exceptionally rare beauty-quark decay that occurs about once in 10 billion cases, giving researchers a new signal from the "zeptoverse"—100 billion times smaller than an atom.
The result came from LHCb collision debris and carries 3.2-sigma evidence; scientists say such tiny-scale interactions could expose effects of dark matter and help build a more complete theory of the Universe.
A £150 million detector upgrade agreed by the 28-country collaboration would raise the frequency of observable decays tenfold, which researchers say is needed to probe deeper into that regime.
UK participation is now in doubt after UKRI withdrew its share of the upgrade funding and cut other physics projects, prompting warnings from LHCb leaders and young researchers about lost discoveries, training and talent moving abroad.
UKRI says Britain remains CERN's second-largest funder at about £175 million a year, but critics including Brian Cox argue retreating from the upgrade risks UK scientific leadership just as the field reaches a pivotal milestone.