Whats the difference between colour and flavour?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the differences between "colour" and "flavour" in the context of particle physics, specifically relating to their roles in interactions and properties of particles. Participants explore theoretical aspects, definitions, and implications of these concepts.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants describe colour as a type of charge related to the strong interaction, with quarks carrying colour charge and leptons having none.
  • Others explain that quarks can change colour through gluon exchange, with specific colour states like red, blue, and green.
  • Flavour is characterized as a property related to the weak interaction, with different generations of particles having distinct flavours and corresponding masses.
  • One participant notes that particles of different flavour have different masses, while those of the same flavour share the same mass.
  • There is mention of the weak nuclear force's ability to change flavour, contrasting with the strong and electromagnetic forces which cannot.
  • Some participants assert that flavour is not a local gauge symmetry, while others suggest it may be viewed as such in attempts to address the flavour puzzle.
  • A later reply humorously claims to have solved the flavour puzzle, indicating ongoing debate and exploration of the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of flavour as a gauge symmetry and its implications, indicating that the discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference group theory and the standard model, but there are unresolved aspects regarding the definitions and implications of flavour and colour, as well as the complexities involved in their interactions.

funnybunny
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basically, what is it?
also, is there such a thing as "colour change"?

ahh, i have PHY3 tomorrow i can't believe i still don't get this
 
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Hi funnybunny
funnybunny said:
basically, what is it?
also, is there such a thing as "colour change"?
The colour and flavour are two different types of charges if you will, just as mass and electric charge are different. Flavour refers to the weak interaction properties, whereas colour refers to the strong interaction.

Colour is probably simpler to begin with. Quarks carry colour charge, but the leptons have vanishing colour charge. Therefore, leptons do not undergo strong interactions. Quarks exchange gluons which allows them to change their colour. If you will, quarks can be red, blue or green, and gluons carry composite types of colour, like red-antiblue. A red quark can thus turn blue by emitting such a gluon, and a blue quark would turn red by absorbing such a gluon. This is a bit simplified but not too crazy description of the underlying group theory business.

Flavor is less simple. There are three generations in the standard model. The first generation is made up of (in terms of lepton pair/quark pair) electron-Eneutrino/up-down members, the second of muon-Mneutrino/strange-charm, and the third of tau-Tneutrino/bottom-top. Bottom is sometimes referred to as "beauty", and also rarely top is referred to as "truth". The flavour quantum numbers let you know where you are in this classification. The group theory here again is not so trivial, you need to actually specify some combinations of the above numbers, like (weak-)hypercharge/(weak-)isospin.

ahh, i have PHY3 tomorrow i can't believe i still don't get this
Good luck :smile:
 
Last edited:
color is the strong nuclear force analog of "charge" in E&M. things that have color (quarks and gluons) can interact through said force.

flavor is the "name" of the particle in question. The key aspect to flavor is mass: particles of different flavor have different masses; particles of the same flavor have the same mass. Example: electrons and muons have different "flavor" and hence different mass. But a top quark and a top quark have the same flavor and hence the same mass (!)

Again, as humanino says, there are subtleties. For example: strong and electromagnetic (and gravity) forces can NOT change the flavor of a particle, whereas the weak nuclear force can. Thus any "decay" of a (fundamental) particle necessarily involves the weak nuclear force.
 
flavour is not a local gauge symmetry.
 
arivero said:
flavour is not a local gauge symmetry.

well, it is if you ask people trying to solve the flavor puzzle! :wink: but it certainly isn't in the "standard model"
 
blechman said:
well, it is if you ask people trying to solve the flavor puzzle! :wink: but it certainly isn't in the "standard model"

Ah but remember I solved the flavor puzzle :cool:
 

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