What is made up of all the rest quarks?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the composition of particles made up of quarks, specifically focusing on what constitutes baryons and mesons beyond the commonly known up and down quarks found in protons and neutrons. The conversation touches on the stability and decay rates of these particles, particularly those containing heavier quarks.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that protons and neutrons are made of up and down quarks, prompting the question of what other particles are composed of the remaining quarks.
  • Others propose that various quarks contribute to a large family of baryons and mesons, referencing external sources for further information.
  • A participant adds that baryons and mesons containing heavy quarks are generally unstable due to weak interactions and decay quickly, leading to their scarcity.
  • Another participant argues that the term "fast" is relative, suggesting that some hadrons, like the ##J/\psi## particle, can be considered stable under certain conditions due to their decay processes being dominated by electromagnetic and weak interactions.
  • Further contributions mention specific examples of long-lived strange particles and baryons, comparing their decay lengths to that of the neutron.
  • One participant expresses that they do not see a contradiction in the discussion regarding the stability and decay rates of these particles.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion contains multiple competing views regarding the stability and decay rates of baryons and mesons, particularly those with heavy quarks. There is no consensus on the characterization of decay rates as "fast" or "slow," as participants express differing interpretations of these terms.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific decay processes and lifetimes of particles, but the discussion does not resolve the implications of these factors on the overall understanding of quark composition and stability.

Sheldon73
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TL;DR
The proton and neutron are composed of up and down quarks. What is made up of all the rest quarks?
The proton and neutron are composed of up and down quarks. What is made up of all the rest quarks?
 
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Should be added that due to the nature of weak interactions, all baryons and mesons containing heavy quarks are unstable and generally decay relatively fast. They are not present in large quantities anywhere.
 
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Well, fast is relative. Since the weak interaction is really weak, some hadrons can be considered as quite stable if there's no strong interaction process leading to its decay. A famous example is the ##J/\psi##, which is pretty long-lived because it only decays through the electromagnetic and weak interaction. It has a very narrow width of 92.6 keV (compared to its mass of about 3.1 GeV):

https://pdglive.lbl.gov/Particle.action?init=0&node=M070&home=MXXX025#decayclump_G
 
Longest lived strange particle is long K0... with ct of 16 m. Longest lived strange baryon is Λ... with 7,8 cm. Whereas n has 260 million km.
 
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Orodruin said:
decay relatively fast
vanhees71 said:
Well, fast is relative.
I don’t see a contradiction here. ;)
 
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