Zeptoverse: Scientists uncover a mysterious world smaller than atoms in a discovery that could change physics forever

Scientists have detected signals from the smallest scale of nature yet explored, a realm roughly 100 billion times smaller than an atom. Some physicists have nicknamed it the ‘zeptoverse’.

The finding, which could contribute to a more complete theory of how the Universe works, comes at a moment when British participation in the research is under serious strain from funding decisions.

The research was led by scientists based in Cambridge and drew on data from an experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Operated by the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (Cern) on the Swiss-French border, the machine collides atoms at high energy in order to break them apart and examine their constituents.

In this experiment, researchers studied the debris produced by such collisions. Among it was a sub-atomic particle known as a beauty quark. The particle is highly unstable, existing for only one and a half trillionths of a second before decaying into other forms. Despite that fleeting lifespan, the team succeeded in detecting its interactions with other tiny particles at a scale of a billion-trillionth of a metre.

The significance of the result lies in its potential relevance to dark matter. Dark matter constitutes a large proportion of the cosmos, yet it has proved extraordinarily difficult to detect. Scientists are confident of its existence because its gravitational force influences ordinary matter, but in all other respects it remains invisible.

Some theoretical models suggest that, at the scales now being probed, particles become more sensitive to dark matter.

Its presence could affect how quarks interact and decay. Detecting activity at this level may therefore offer an indirect route to identifying dark matter.

Dr Harry Cliff of Cambridge University, who led the analysis of the data, said the team was ‘knocking on the door’ of the zeptoverse. He described the sub-atomic behaviour observed as providing a ringside seat to the possible activity of new particles. The next step, he explained, is to explore what new particles may be present, and that will require substantially more data.

To obtain that data, the 28 countries involved in the project have agreed a £150m upgrade to the LHCb detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The improvement would increase the frequency of the relevant decays tenfold. "With that we can probe inside the zeptoverse and see what's waiting," Cliff said.

However, the United Kingdom's role in this next phase is uncertain. Last year, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the government body responsible for research funding, announced that it was withdrawing its share of the money for the planned upgrade.

It subsequently announced cuts to several other particle physics and astronomy projects this summer, among them Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope.

Professor Tim Gershon, who leads the international LHCb collaboration, told BBC News that the UK's full involvement in the research was now in doubt. "The UK is at risk of not being involved and making really major discoveries," he said. He added that the greatest long-term consequence might be the loss of opportunities to train young people, whom he described as the country's "greatest product".

That concern is already being borne out among early-career scientists. Dr Mary Richardson-Slipper, a member of the team behind the discovery, is weighing whether to continue her research career in Britain or seek work overseas. Although she expressed affection for life in the UK, she said she was looking at jobs abroad because more opportunities appeared to exist there at present. She noted that many of her colleagues in fundamental physics had already left.

The cuts come despite a record overall increase in the science budget, a circumstance that has drawn criticism from prominent figures in the field. Professor Brian Cox of the University of Manchester, who was not part of the research team, described the result as important but condemned the decision to reduce funding for the Cern project. He argued that it would be extraordinary to abandon UK scientific leadership at this moment, warning of damage to the future research programme and to the country's hard-won international reputation.

UKRI maintains that it remains fully engaged with Cern, of which it is the second largest funder, contributing approximately £175m per year. A spokesperson said the agency had sought independent advice and had taken forward a portfolio of new infrastructure investments, including projects in clean energy, medical imaging and cultural heritage. The spokesperson added that, as is usual, applications for funding exceeded what the agency was able to support.

The detection of signals at the scale of the zeptoverse represents a notable advance in the effort to understand the fundamental structure of the Universe and the nature of dark matter. Yet the scientific promise of the discovery is accompanied by a pressing policy question: whether the United Kingdom will remain positioned to capitalize on work that its own researchers have led. For the scientists involved, the answer will determine not only the pace of future discoveries but also whether the next generation of physicists chooses to build its careers at home or abroad.