A subatomic particle — the top quark — has been detected for the first time, which did not simultaneous produce its antimatter partner! This extremely rare event was witnessed by a group of 50 international physicists. They were led by UC Riverside’s scientist Ann Heinson.
With the help this single top quark’s discovery scientists could better explain-
• how the universe works and
• how objects acquire their mass.
This can, thereby assist human understanding of the universe’s fundamental nature.
Heinson, a research physicist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy said,
We’ve been looking for single top quarks for 12 years, and until now no one had seen them.
The detection of single top quarks — we detected 62 in total — will allow us to study the properties of top quarks in ways not accessible before. We are now able to study how the top quark is produced and how it decays. Do these happen as theory says they should” Are new particles affecting what we see” We’re now better positioned to answer such questions.
