AI Uncovers New Double-Strangeness in Hypernucleus Research

Researchers from the High Energy Nuclear Physics Laboratory at the RIKEN Pioneering Research Institute in Japan, along with international collaborators, have made a groundbreaking discovery in nuclear physics by utilizing artificial intelligence to identify a new double-Lambda hypernucleus.

This finding, published in Nature Communications, marks the first AI-assisted observation of a double-Lambda hypernucleus in 25 years. By applying deep learning techniques to analyze a vast amount of unexamined nuclear emulsion data from the J-PARC E07 experiment, the team successfully detected the production and decay of a double-Lambda hypernucleus of boron-13, where two Lambda particles are bound to a boron-11 nucleus.

This observation is only the second confirmed instance of a double-Lambda hypernucleus and the first outside of helium. Notably, this achievement was reached by analyzing just 0.2 percent of the total emulsion data, suggesting that the full dataset may contain over 2,000 potential double-strangeness events.

The research provides new insights into the interaction between Lambda particles and enhances our understanding of the nuclear forces that govern atomic structures, particularly in the extreme environments of neutron stars.

According to Takehiko Saito, chief scientist at RIKEN, this work illustrates the capability of AI to uncover rare phenomena within large experimental datasets, paving the way for future discoveries in hypernuclear physics.

The team plans to refine their analysis methods further and investigate the behavior of Lambda particles in other nuclei and the interactions involving xi hyperons.