USC scientist works to verify enigmatic pentaquark

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Hall B Large Acceptance Spectrometer
This new particle, called Theta+, is believed to be the first observed "pentaquark," a type of matter composed of five subatomic quarks instead of the standard three or the more unstable two. "Discovered" by Japanese physicists in 2002 and published in 2003, Theta+ is one of those enigmatic developments that churns the arcane world of quantum physics while stirring barely a ripple outside it.


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All News summaries for August 22, 2004

Surface tension drives segregation within cell mixtures

Oct 06, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
What does a mixture of two different kinds of cells have in common with a mixture of oil and water? The same basic force causes both mixtures to separate into two distinct regions.

Fuzziness on the road to physics' grand unification theory

Oct 06, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Leave it to hypothesized gravity to weigh down what physicists have thought for 30 years. If theoretical physicists, led by the University of Oregon's Stephen Hsu, are right, the idea that nature's forces ...

In quantum channels, zero plus zero can equal non-zero

Oct 06, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Physicists have discovered a strange characteristic of quantum communication channels. If two quantum channels each have a transmission capacity of zero, they may still have a nonzero capacity ...

Brilliantly bright light source is one step closer to reality, says scientist

Oct 03, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- A brilliantly bright light source that can examine the detail of atoms at a microscopic level is one step closer, thanks to the adoption of a Europe-wide convention, says a leading scientist ...

Coastlines could be protected by 'invisibility cloak'

Oct 02, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have tested an 'invisibility cloak' that could reduce the risk of large water waves overtopping coastal defences.