What is the Quark Composition of Specific Mesons and Antibaryons?

In summary, the problem involves writing down the quark content of particles made of (u, d, s) and their antiquarks. Part (a) requires a meson with strangeness S = 1 and isospin component I3 = 1/2, which can be satisfied by an anti-strange quark and an up quark, resulting in u\bar{s}. Part (b) involves an antibaryon with strangeness S = 0 and isospin I3 = -3/2, which means it must contain three antiup quarks, resulting in \bar{u}\bar{u}\bar{u}. However, there seems to be a typo in the solution provided, as it
  • #1
BOYLANATOR
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Homework Statement



Write down the quark content of the following particles, made of (u; d; s) and their antiquarks:

(a) A meson with strangeness S = 1, and isospin component I3 = 1/2

(b) An antibaryon with strangeness S = 0, and isospin I3 = -3/2

The Attempt at a Solution



a) A meson consists of one quark and one antiquark. The strangeness comes from an anti-strange quark and an up quark satisfies the isospin So we have [itex]u\bar{s}[/itex]

b) The antibaryon must have three antiquarks and in this case none can be strange. In order to have isospin of -3/2 we must have three antiup quarks, ie [itex]\bar{u}\bar{u}\bar{u}[/itex]

My answer for a) is correct and b) seems ok.

Here is the given solution to b).

"An antibaryon contains three antiquarks. There can be no strange antiquarks if S=0 Also,
isospin component I3 = -3/2 tell us there must be three antiup quarks. So the answer is [itex]\bar{d}\bar{d}\bar{d}[/itex]."

This is just a typo at the end, right?
 
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  • #2
If they had wanted a (regular) baryon, it would have been ddd , right?
I'll bet the question WAS originally (previous edition) for a baryon with I3 = - 3/2
When they changed the problem (for the new edition), the editor changed the (regular) to anti-,
but didn't notice that he also needed to negate the isospin projection (or change d to u in the solution).
 
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  • #3
Thanks. I just wanted to make sure as this stuff is new to me.
 

FAQ: What is the Quark Composition of Specific Mesons and Antibaryons?

What is a quark?

A quark is a fundamental particle that is one of the building blocks of matter. It is a subatomic particle that makes up protons and neutrons, which are in turn the building blocks of atomic nuclei.

How many types of quarks are there?

There are six known types of quarks: up, down, charm, strange, top, and bottom. They are often referred to as the "flavors" of quarks.

What is the quark content of a proton?

A proton is made up of two up quarks and one down quark. This is often represented as "uud" in shorthand notation.

What is the quark content of a neutron?

A neutron is made up of one up quark and two down quarks. This is often represented as "udd" in shorthand notation.

Can quarks exist independently?

No, quarks cannot exist independently. They are always found in combination with other quarks or other particles, such as protons and neutrons.

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