Positronic histrionics!

[blueman]

What's the difference between a positron and a quark, again?

 

[docm]

A positron is the antimatter equivalent of an electron; ~same mass but a positive charge. Both are in the Lepton family of fundamental particles.<br /><br />Quarks are also fundamental particles of their own family. Quarks come in several flavors; Up, Dowm, Bottom, Top, Strange and Charm and their anti-particles. <br /><br />Quarks make the Hadrons, which is the parent family of the Baryons and the Mesons<br /><br />Baryons are made of of 3 Up and Down quarks. Ex: Neutrons (UDD) and Protons (UUD)<br /><br />Mesons are made of a quark and an anti-quark. Ex: a Pion is made of an Up quark and a Down anti-quark. An anti-Pion has the opposite; an Up anti-quark and a Down quark.<br /><br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Boris_Badenov]

My head is spinning, can you provide a diagram, or a link to one? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>

 

[yevaud]

Here. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[docm]

This is particles 101, AKA: Particle Adventure;<br /><br />http://particleadventure.org/particleadventure/index.html<br /><br /> And this is QuarkDance.org;<br /><br />http://pdg.lbl.gov/quarkdance<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[blueman]

Thank you very much, great diagram, I remember it sketchily...

 

[yevaud]

Sorry, I have already taken Particles 501.<br /><br />Yes, it is a fairly familiar diagram. It seems to pop up all over the internet. People find it quite useful. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[aidan13791]

I have a very good understanding of this, except from one thing; in a meson, why do the quark and antiquark not annihilate each other? <br /><br />Thanks

 

[docm]

More complexity <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />A meson is actually thought to consist of the quark/antiquark pair (the 'valence quarks') plus a cloud of virtual particles; quark/antiquark pairs and gluons, and it's the gluons that let the quarks 'stick'. Also; the valence quarks are thought to exist in a state of superposition. Ex: a neutral pion is neither an up/antiup or down/antidown pair but an equal superposition of both. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[aidan13791]

Ah, thanks. So am i right in thinking that the quark/antiquark doesnt annihilate because it is the gluons in contact, not the valence quarks, and that they are each not an individual flavour, but both?<br /><br /> Sorry if i misunderstood, I have no formal eduction in the subject, although i will be studying physics at college next year, but i have been following quantum and particle physics for a while.