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Hoof47
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Is it true that hypercharge is conserved in the weak ineractions - and what's the difference between normal hypercharge and weak hypercharge? I know how to work out hypercharge but help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
Hoof47 said:Where Y is normal hypercharge and T3 is weak isospin? (just checking)
Hoof47 said:OK, but how do you work out the weak hypercharge without knowing the weak isospin or vice versa? (normal hypercharge is defined as the baryon number + the strangeness and so on - can you define weak hypercharge in the same way?)
Hoof47 said:Also (but please answer my first question first!) what exactly does the third compnent of isospin (strong isospin) describe. I know how to work it out, and I can deal with its equations, but I don't quite know what it actually describes. Is it something to do with the three cartesian co-ordinates (my memory seems to recollect something about this, but it might be totally wrong)?
Hoof47 said:OK, so let me get this right - there is no fixed value for weak isospin and isospin has nothin gto do with spin. Also, what is the third component of isospin - is it just a mathematical operator, or can you actually visualize it?
Hypercharge conservation is a fundamental principle in particle physics that states that the total hypercharge of a system must remain constant during weak interactions. Hypercharge is a quantum number that describes the overall electric charge of a particle, composed of its electric charge and a combination of other quantum numbers.
Hypercharge conservation is important because it helps to explain the symmetry between particles and antiparticles in the universe. It also plays a crucial role in determining the relative stability of particles and their interactions.
Hypercharge is conserved in weak interactions through the exchange of particles called gauge bosons, specifically the W+ and W- bosons. These particles carry a unit of hypercharge and can change the hypercharge of particles involved in the interaction.
One example is beta decay, where a neutron decays into a proton, electron, and antineutrino. This process involves the exchange of a W- boson to conserve hypercharge. Another example is the decay of a strange quark into an up quark, which also involves the exchange of a W- boson.
Hypercharge conservation is closely related to other conservation laws, such as electric charge conservation and baryon number conservation. These laws work together to ensure that the total charge and number of particles in a system remain constant during interactions, providing a framework for understanding the behavior of matter and energy in the universe.