An anomaly detected by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is leading scientists to speculate this "bump" might be a new particle that might help tie-up the loose ends in the Standard Model of particle physics such as dark matter.

This anomaly or bump is a 750 gigaelectronvolts (GeV) signal detected by both the ATLAS experiment and Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detectors in December 2015. This excess of photon pairs with a combined mass of 750 GeV might hint at a new, heavy particle some six times more massive than the Higgs boson.

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The ATLAS experiment and the CMS are large, general purpose particle detectors. There are seven particle detectors at the LHC.

Scientists are eager to prove if this probable particle might help explain the shortcomings of the Standard Model that also classifies all known subatomic particles. There's also the hope this bump, if confirmed by other observations, might lead to a better understanding of dark matter and the forces behind the universe.

"More data is needed to be sure the signal doesn't go away -- until then we have to be cautious," explained Prof. Stefan Söldner-Rembold, head of particle physics at the University of Manchester.

"The big reason that people are excited about this bump is that both experiments (Atlas and CMS) saw a hint in roughly the same place. But even this is not completely unlikely."

Scientists say the new particle will be confirmed if it reaches a statistical threshold known as "5 sigma." This corresponds to a chance of one in 3.5 million that the observed signal is an accident or a fluke. It's about the same odds as tossing a coin and getting 21 or 22 heads in a row.

"This is the time when the probability of finding something new is highest," said Tiziano Camporesi, head of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at CERN.

The LHC experiments dealing with the bump will be presented at a conference in Chicago later this summer. 

TagsLarge Hadron Collider, 750 gigaelectronvolts, ATLAS experiment, Compact Muon Solenoid