Energy of Up & Down Quarks in Joules: What Are They?

In summary, there is no direct way to measure the energy of up and down quarks, as they cannot exist as isolated particles. Instead, their masses must be estimated using indirect methods such as measuring the energies of decay products or producing them in collisions. These methods are often complicated and imprecise, leading to vague estimations of their energies.
  • #1
mpolo
70
1
I am using a program that requires the energy of the up quark and down quark be given in Joules. I tried to find these values on the internet but could not find these values. Can someone please tell me what is the energy of the Up and Down Quark in Joules?
 
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  • #2
That's like asking for the speed of a car. What is the speed of a car?

It depends on where these quarks are, and (unlike for cars) often the energy is not even a well-defined number. Do you mean the mass (or the mass-energy equivalent) of the quarks? The Particle Data Group has numbers.
 
  • #3
What do you mean by "Energy of the up/down quark"? If you want to convert energies from electronvolt to joules, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronvolt should be an obvious starting point.
 
  • #4
okay here's what I have. Check my math. I simply averaged the min max values for mass in Electron volts for the Up Quark and the Down quark then I converted to Joules.

Up Quark = 2.01 Mev = Average value from standard Model
Up Quark = 3.36457079e-13 Joules Converted to Joules
.000000000000336457079 Joules = Input into ProgramDown Quark = 4.79 Mev = Average value from standard Model
Down Quark = 7.67442575e-13 Joules Converted to Joules
.000000000000767442575 Joules = Input into Program
 
  • #5
These are estimates for the quark masses. There is no theoretical prediction for them and experimental measurements are very challenging as the quarks cannot occur as isolated particles.

The conversion from MeV to J is right. You can easily round the numbers to 2 significant digits, even the second digit is not very meaningful.
 
  • #6
Thanks for the confirmation of my calculations. I did not know that there was no theoretical prediction for them. That is interesting. So the estimation that we have are vague. How do we determine the masses of particles that we can isolate? I would be very interested to know that.
 
  • #7
It depends on the particle. If it lives long enough and has an electric charge, put it in a Penning trap. If it decays, measure the energies of the decay products. The only neutral long-living/stable objects known are atoms, and you can ionize them to put them to give them a charge.

If we can produce it in electron/positron collision, measure the energy where it gets produced.

Neutrino masses are much more complicated.
 
  • #8
This all seems so indirect. Thanks for the additional info. I will give this information some more thought.
 
  • #9
mpolo said:
This all seems so indirect.

Indeed. Quarks can't occur as isolated particles, so we can't just put them on a scale or something. We have to resort to complicated, indirect methods to measure their masses.
 

What is the energy of up and down quarks in joules?

The energy of up and down quarks is extremely small and is typically measured in electron volts (eV). 1 eV is equivalent to 1.602 x 10^-19 joules. The energy of an up quark is approximately 2.3 MeV and the energy of a down quark is approximately 4.8 MeV.

Why do up and down quarks have different energies?

The energy of a quark is determined by its mass and the strong nuclear force. Up quarks have a slightly smaller mass than down quarks, which results in a slightly higher energy. Additionally, the strong nuclear force affects up and down quarks differently, causing a difference in energy levels.

How do the energies of up and down quarks affect the stability of atoms?

The energies of up and down quarks play a crucial role in the stability of atoms. These quarks make up the protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom, and their energies must be balanced in order for the atom to be stable. If the energy levels of up and down quarks are not balanced, the atom may undergo radioactive decay.

Can the energy of up and down quarks be manipulated or changed?

As of now, there is no known way to manipulate or change the energy of individual quarks. However, scientists are constantly conducting research and experiments to better understand the fundamental particles and forces that make up the universe, which may lead to new discoveries and possibilities in the future.

How does the energy of up and down quarks contribute to the total energy of the universe?

The energy of up and down quarks, along with the energy of all other fundamental particles, contributes to the total energy of the universe. This energy is constantly changing and interacting with other forms of energy, such as electromagnetic energy and gravitational energy, to shape the universe as we know it.

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