Scientists propose a hunt for never-before-seen ‘tauonium’ atoms
Proposed new colliders could create particles composed of heavy relatives of the electron
![A swirl of two particles represents the tauonium atom in an illustration. The atom has emerged from a particle detector represented by a series of concentric cylinders, centered around a beam line where electrons and positrons enter from either side.](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/052424_ec_tauonium_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
Scientists could create atoms made of tau leptons (illustrated in upper left) using a particle collider that smashes together electrons and positrons (arrows at right and left, respectively).
J.-H. Fu et al/Science Bulletin 2024