Scientists fromCMS experimentof the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have observed for the first time inproton-proton collisionsan unforeseen correlation in events where large numbers of particles are produced. This phenomenon was not foreseen in this type of collision at these energies (7 teraelectronvolts) and, although it is still too early to make definitive interpretations, the experts assure thatwe are before “the first evidence of a novel result”the world’s largest particle accelerator.
The researchers found it natural to search for these correlations in high-multiplicity proton-proton collisions at the LHC, as the particle densities created in the accelerator begin to approach those of high-energy collisions of nuclei such as copper, where similar effects have been seen. In the analysis presented in the study, all pairs of charged particles were selected in a collision and the differences in the directions of both were measured. The results showed that, in some pairs,the particles are moving away from each other at speeds close to the speed of light, but oriented along the same angle, as if they had somehow beenassociated when they were created at the collision point.
CMS is one of two general-purpose experiments located at the LHC that have been built to search for new physics. It is designed to detect a wide range of particles and phenomena, and will help answer questions such as:“What is the universe made of and what are the forces at work within it?”. It will also measure the properties of known particles with unprecedented precision, and it will try to hunt down entirely new and unforeseen phenomena.
