Fundamental particles Flashcards
What are anti-particles?
Simply put, an anti-particle has the opposite charge to the original particle, but the same mass.
proton p+ anti-proton p-
electron e- anti-electron(positron) e+
More generally, an antiparticle is signified by a short line drawn above it.
What are the two types of fundamental particles?
Leptons and quarks.
What are the three lepton families?
The electron, e
The muon, μ
The tau, τ
What are the relative heaviness of the lepton families compared to each other?
The electron and muon are very light particles but the tau is about 1800 times heavier than an electron.
What is pair production?
Pair production is the creation of a particle and its anti-particle when a gamma ray photon passes close to a nucleus.
What is pair annihilation?
Pair annihilation is when a particle and its anti-particle collide. The result is energy in the form of gamma ray photons and/or other particles being produced.
What is the antiparticle of an electron?
A positron.
What are neutrinos?
There are three types, one for each charged lepton.
They’re very hard to detect and yet come from vast numbers from all directions in space.
They pass through the Earth virtually undiminished in intensity and interact so rarely that they need to pass through lead many light years thick to halve their intensity.
What are the three neutrinos?
Electron neutrino, muon neutrino, and tau neutrino.
How were neutrinos discovered?
In 1930 it was observed that the energy spectrum of electrons (the beta particle) emitted in nuclear beta-decay was continuous. This observation could not be explained at the time. The particle emitted in beta decay is actually an antineutrino.
What are the six types of quarks?
up (u) …………………….down (d)
charm (c) ………………..strange (s)
top (t) …………………….bottom (b
Can quarks exist on their own?
No- they exist in hadrons formed from various quark combinations.
What charges can a quark carry?
+2/3e or -1/3e where e is 1.60 x 10-19C.
What ‘generations’ are the quarks split up into?
First generation- up and down quarks.
Second generation- strange and charm quarks.
Third generation- top and bottom quarks.
What was the strangeness property initially defined to explain?
The behaviour of massive particles such as kaons and hyperons.
These strange particles are created in pairs in collisions and have a longer than expected lifetime.
This property of strangeness is conserved during their creation, but not when they subsequently decay.
What is the lepton number and charge of electrons, muons and taus?
+1 and -1
What is the lepton number and charge of anti-electrons, anti-muons and anti-taus?
-1 and +1
What is the lepton number and charge of electron neutrinos, muon neutrinos and tau neutrinos?
+1 and 0
What is the lepton number and charge of electron anti-neutrinos, muon anti-neutrinos and tau anti-neutrinos?
-1 and 0
What are the 12 leptons?
Electron Muon Tau Anti-electron Anti-muon Anti-tau Electron neutrino Muon neutrino Tau Electron anti-neutrino Muon anti-neutrino Tau anti-neutrino
What quarks are in a proton?
u u d …… charge totals ( +2/3 +2/3 -1/3 = +1 )
What quarks are in a neutron?
u d d …….charge totals ( +2/3 -1/3 -1/3 = 0 )
What quarks are in a anti-proton?
uud. ….. charge totals ( -2/3 -2/3 +1/3 = -1 )
What quarks are in a anti-neutron?
udd…… charge totals ( -2/3 +1/3 +1/3 = 0 )
How many fundamental particles and antiparticles are there in the standard model?
12 particles and 12 antiparticles.
What is the charge on a strange anti-quark?
+1/3
What is the baryon number on a strange antiquark?
-1/3
What quarks have a charge of -1/3?
Down, strange and bottom.
What quarks have a charge of +2/3?
Up, charm and top.