LHCb discovers Xi-cc-plus, a proton four times heavier
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- LHCb experiment discovered a new particle, Xi-cc-plus, that is four times heavier than a regular proton.
- LHCb detector upgrade enabled the discovery within one year, whereas the original detector required a decade without seeing it.
- Xi-cc-plus consists of two charm quarks replacing the up quarks and decays in less than 10⁻¹² seconds.
- Tim Gershon of the University of Warwick said the upgraded detection capability allowed the find and that no other experiment can achieve this physics.
- UKRI plans to cut £50 million funding for the LHCb final upgrade in the 2030s, sparking criticism from scientists and policymakers.
- Chi Onwurah sent a scathing letter to Ian Chapman and Patrick Vallance, calling the cuts “wholly unacceptable” and demanding swift action.
Why it matters: Physicists gain a new probe of the strong nuclear force, while UKRI’s planned £50 million cut to the LHCb final upgrade threatens the detector upgrades that enabled the discovery, jeopardizing future high‑precision particle studies and undermining the UK’s role in frontier physics.
