Tevatron accelerator yields hints of new particle

**Maggy J** · 10-04-2011, 21:04

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13000253

Quote:

A particle accelerator in the US has shown compelling hints of a never-before-seen particle, researchers say.
The find must be more fully confirmed, but researchers at the Tevatron are racing to work through existing data.
If proved, it will be a completely new, unanticipated particle; researchers say it cannot be the much sought-after Higgs boson.

Reading this has given me a slight headache..

papasmurf · 11-04-2011, 00:31

That's really going to get the boffins thinking. The HB was the holy grail. Very interesting.

joglynne · 11-04-2011, 12:13

Professor Brian Cox on Twitter reckons that this is the "The clearest explanation so far of the Tevatron result" if anyone wants a second article to read.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/li...9/1?CMP=twt_gu

**Maggy J** · 11-04-2011, 12:23

That made my headache worse.But thanks jo.

downquark1 · 11-04-2011, 12:42

Reconstruction (adding the daughter particles to work out the parent particle) at these powerful all purposes detectors are is not fantastically accurate, you get plenty of false candidates. To work out if you have found something real you plot all the results in a histogram and something genuine should leave a "bump".

With statistics you can work out the likelihood that what you are looking at is a genuine bump or just randomness producing a bump.

joglynne · 11-04-2011, 14:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggy J

That made my headache worse.But thanks jo.

I did wonder whether I should give a health warning with the link I provided but thought I could well be the only member having to admit to being technically challenged.

Quote:

Originally Posted by downquark1

Reconstruction (adding the daughter particles to work out the parent particle) at these powerful all purposes detectors are is not fantastically accurate, you get plenty of false candidates. To work out if you have found something real you plot all the results in a histogram and something genuine should leave a "bump".

With statistics you can work out the likelihood that what you are looking at is a genuine bump or just randomness producing a bump.

With all the bumping going on my head hurts even more.