Particle Physics: Hadrons

Question 1

What is a hadron

Answer 1

Any particle that experiences the strong force and contains quarks and/or antiquarks

Question 2

What is a baryon and how many quarks do they have

Answer 2

A proton or neutron with 3 quarks / antiquarks (for antibaryons)

Question 3

What is a meson and how many quarks does it have

Answer 3

Pion or kaon with one quark and one antiquark

Question 4

What is the only stable baryon, and what does this mean

Answer 4

The proton- all baryons eventually decay to protons

Question 5

Name two interactions where the weak interaction is responsible

Answer 5

Kaons —> pions, flavour of quarks changing

Question 6

Which forces do hadrons feel

Answer 6

All forces (if charged)

Question 7

What is strangeness, and which hadrons have strange/antistrange quarks

Answer 7

Strange quarks = -1 strangeness, antistrange = +1, in kaons