First observation of pentaquarks at the LHC

Illustration of the possible layout of the quarks in a pentaquark particle like those discovered at LHCb.
Illustration of the possible layout of the quarks in a pentaquark particle like those discovered at LHCb.

The LHCb collaboration observes a new class of particles composed of five quarks, called pentaquarks. Later, in 2020, LHCb reports the observation of a particle composed of four quarks, a tetraquark. In addition to two-quark and three-quark particles, which include protons and neutrons, the quark model predicts the existence of other composite states of quarks, such as tetraquarks and pentaquarks. However, their nature is still being studied.


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