I Can a (uuu) baryon exist? If so, why wouldn't protons decay

Eric Putney
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Is this some sort of issue with color or another quantity that needs to be conserved?
 
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(uuu) is heavier than the lightest (uud) baryon. The reason comes from quantum mechanics: The total wave function has to be antisymmetric under the exchange of up-quarks. (uud) can have spin 1/2, but (uuu) cannot. A larger spin leads to a larger mass.
 
mfb said:
(uuu) is heavier than the lightest (uud) baryon. The reason comes from quantum mechanics: The total wave function has to be antisymmetric under the exchange of up-quarks. (uud) can have spin 1/2, but (uuu) cannot. A larger spin leads to a larger mass.
I suppose that makes sense, thanks for the reply!
 
Orodruin said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_baryon

Why do you think this would make protons decay?
I naively assumed that baryon would be the lightest baryon, lighter than a proton, so I assumed it would eventually decay to the lowest mass. The other reply explained why this would not be the case.
Thanks for the reply!
 

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