Particle X17

The Atomki Anomaly

Particle X17 could lead to a fifth fundamental force

Ella Alderson

Mar 13 · 6 min read

The triple alpha process occurs in the belly of red giant stars. These stars grow engorged as they reach their final stages of stellar evolution, swelling and searing hot with cores of up to 10⁸ K. All hydrogen at the core has been consumed. In need of a new source of energy, fusion of helium atoms — also known to physicists as alpha particles — begins to take place. When two helium-4 nuclei fuse together they form the very unstable beryllium-8. It lasts a mere 10-¹⁷ seconds before decay. But these red giant stars have high-density cores. Here, a third alpha particle is able to merge with the beryllium-8 in time to form a heavier, more familiar element. With three helium-4 nuclei now successfully merged together, the element of carbon is formed. And all life on Earth as we know it is based on this chemical element.