Exotic particles offer deeper insight into matter and antimatter

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Collinear Resonance Ionisation Spectroscopy (CRIS) makes it possible to determin
Collinear Resonance Ionisation Spectroscopy (CRIS) makes it possible to determine the size and the electromagnetic properties of highly exotic atomic nuclei. | © CERN

At the European nuclear and particle physics laboratory CERN, physicists can produce extremely rare short-lived atoms and molecules. Researchers from KU Leuven have shown that these particles lead the way to uncharted territory in nuclear and particle physics.

One of the oldest active installations at the Centre for European Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva is the ISOLDE laboratory. This is where, since the 1960s, radioactive - and therefore unstable - particles, consisting of an exotic combination of protons and neutrons, have been created by sending an energetic proton beam onto a piece of uranium. After production, the particles are ionised and accelerated. ...

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