particle physics Flashcards
nucleon
a particle containing protons + neutrons
isotope
- same number of protons and electrons
- different number of neutrons
ions
charged atoms (uneven number of protons and electrons)
alpha particle
helium 2+ ion with 2 protons and 2 neutrons
beta plus
positron and neutrino
beta minus
electron and antineutrino
neutrino
tiny subatomic particles that rarely interact with matter
beta plus decay
proton turns to neutron and atom releases positron and neutrino
quarks
a type of fundamental particle which combines to form hadrons such as protons and neutrons
6 types of quarks
1) up
2) down
3) top
4) bottom
5) strange
6) charm
quark composition of protons
uud
quark composition of neutrons
udd
hadron
subatomic particle with 2 or more quarks held together by strong nuclear force
2 types of hadrons
1) baryons
2) mesons
baryons
3 quarks
mesons
1 quark + 1 antiquark
examples of baryons
protons and neutrons
leptons
subatomic particles not subjected to strong nuclear force
example of leptons
electrons, muons, neutrinos
charge of the quarks
1) up: +2/3
2) down: -1/3
3) top: +2/3
4) down: -1/3
5) strange: -1/3
6) charm: +2/3
beta minus decay
neutron turns into proton and atom releases electron and antineutrino
which quark decays during beta minus decay
a down quark —> an up quark
which quark decays during beta plus decay
an up quark —> a down quark
why are neutrinos created in beta decay
in order to balance energy, momentum, and lepton number
