First Creation of Anti-Strange Hypernuclei

runagate writes "Brookhaven National Laboratory has created a heretofore unknown form of matter. The matter we normally encounter, and are composed of, has nuclei of protons and neutrons that contain no strange quarks. It was known that anti-strange matter could exist, and using the Solenoidal Tracker at Brookhaven's RHIC, scientists detected a couple of dozen instances of antihypernuclei. The 'Z' axis of the Periodic Table has already been extended in the positive direction by the discovery of hypernuclei, but this new discovery extends it in the negative direction for this new type of 'strange' antimatter — which may exist in the core of collapsed stars and may provide insight into why our universe appears to be made almost solely of matter and not antimatter." The Register's coverage reproduces a helpful diagram.

Comments

so what happens

[rossdee]

when this new form of matter comes in contact with the normal matter that the rest of the universe is made of? Do we get a gigantic explosion (as we would with matter and anti-matter), of do the particles just avoid each other like the plague?

Re:so what happens

[sdpuppy]

What would be interesting is if there was some combination of nucleons which would make the particle with the strange quark stable.

For example, the half life of a free neutron is 10 minutes decay via the weak interaction, but when in a nucleus of appropriate configuration (any stable elements) it is stable.

Would would the properties of a atom containing a strange particle be like?

Amusingly...

[Oxford_Comma_Lover]

The linked article at the register, with the helpful diagram, kinda makes that sentence make sense. It also has gems like '“The strangeness value could be non-zero" [in such places] says Chen, a statement with which no doubt most would agree.'

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/05/negative_strangeness/

Kind of neat, but no new physics here

[Entropius]

We've known for quite a while that this sort of thing is possible. All quarks have the exact same strong interactions, after all. This is like strontium displacing calcium in bones -- it's got the same valence structure, it has similar properties, and it's no surprise that it happens.

RHIC is a nifty machine for a lot of reasons. It provides an experimental counterpart to lattice QCD calculations of the equation of state of the quark-gluon plasma, which is the natural state of the universe at very high temperatures. But "OMG! An antistrange wound up in a bound state!" isn't why this machine is worthwhile, even if it does give El Reg something funny to write about.

Re:from the register's "helpful diagram":

[hey!]

so i'm under the impression of having advanced quantum physics described to me by a drunk with a cockney accent. i guess that's helpful...

Nah. Then then they'd call "Anti-Strange Hyypernuclei" something like "Panty-mange wiper pukey pie."

even before clicking your link,

[circletimessquare]

simply judging by the hyper-british name of "nigel molesworth" (is there possibly a more british name?), i have to accept that i am way over my head here in terms of obscure british esoterica

anyway, the joke works across the pond, if for completely different reasons

Re:OK Slashdot, time to get honest...

[AP31R0N]

It's curiouser and curiouser.

Honest question?

[AP31R0N]

Is anti-matter matter? Could we build stuff out of it?