By Peter Weiss
The discovery of what appears to be a new subatomic particle with bizarre properties is challenging theorists’ understanding of how matter behaves on the scale of protons and neutrons.
What seems especially weird about the particle, dubbed DsJ(2632), is its unexpected breakdown pattern. It produces a particle called an eta meson six times as often as the K meson that theory says should be more prevalent, explains James S. Russ of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, leader of the experimental team.