The conversation thing

Not everyday we live to have this type of news. Japanese researchers at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) in Tsukuba, Japan, the “Belle collaboration”, recently announced the discovery of an exotic new sub-atomic particle with non-zero electric charge. This particle, which the researchers have named Z(4430), does not fit into the usual scheme of “mesons”, combinations of a quark and an antiquark that are held together by the force of the strong interaction.

How about that ?

I have a friend in Holland doing her PhD in subatomic particles, and I remember we first met at a common friends party… the party was ok and we only got to talk late around midnight … until than I considered it to be a normal party, but after we got acquainted, for an hour or so we only discussed about mesons and quarks and stuff like that and two other friends were looking at us like at the discovery channel. nice party turnout, I’d say! Me, I just had info from physics in university and from my beloved Stephen Hawking’s books read like ten years ago… but Miruna was packed with up-to-date info on how research in this matter stands and where is it heading. Have to talk to her some time soon… keep you posted.

Now coming back to this new and shiny Z(4430), it reads there that it is produced together with the K-meson from decays of the B meson, and instantly decays into a psi-prime particle(Psi-prime) and a pi-meson. Cool… one question: What applications will it have in further research? Anyone taking a guess?

Thanks Adrian Buzatu for the info

CNN has decided to open an I-Report hub in Second Life, encouraging residents of Second Life to share their own “SL I-Reports” about events occurring within the virtual world.

This I-Report hub includes a news desk where CNN producers will hold weekly editorial discussions, and an amphitheater for larger in-world events, such as training sessions and appearances by CNN anchors and correspondents.

CNN’s first in-world training session will be held Tuesday, November 13, at 5 p.m. ET at the I-Report Hub , that is, if I’m guessing correcly, on the 14th around 1 o’clock in the afternoon.