News Particle Physics

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.

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

By Emily Conover

Atoms are normally made of a nucleus and electrons. But scientists are proposing a hunt for a new variety of atom without either.