7. THE STRANGE QUARK OF MATTER

 

The leptons for the second generation of elementary particles, i.e. the muon and muon-neutrino, were introduced during the development of the u and d quark mesons. The second generation of elementary particles also includes two quarks; the strange (s) and charm (c) quarks. This chapter will develop the EPSM for the s quark which has a -1/3 ecu similar to the d quark. Hence, it may be expected to be a heavy d quark. In fact, various identified baryons and meson can be formed by substituting the s quark for the d quark. Table 1-5 shows some of the hadrons that have an s quark in its structure.

 

 

Table 1-5

STRANGE HADRONS

Hadron

Hadron Type

Quark Structure

Charge

Spin

Mass

Lambda (L)

Baryon

uds

0

3/2

1.116 Gev

Sigma + (S+)

Baryon

uus

+1

3/2

1.189 Gev

Sigma 0

Baryon

uds

0

3/2

1.192 Gev

Sigma -

Baryon

dds

-1

3/2

1.197 Gev

Xi 0 (X)

Baryon

uss

0

3/2

1.315 Gev

Xi -

Baryon

dss

-1

3/2

1.321 Gev

Omega (W)

Baryon

sss

-1

3/2

1.672 Gev

K - (kaon)

Meson

u*s

-1

0

0.494 Gev

K 0

Meson

d*s

0

0

0.498 Gev

Phi (F)

Meson

s*s

0

1

1.020 Gev

 

THE STRANGE BARYONS

 

FROM LAMBDA TO STRANGENESS

 

Lambda (uds) L

 

The Lambda particle has a uds quark structure which is similar to the neutron quark structure with the s quark substituting for one of the d quarks. The Lambda particle is the lightest baryon containing an s quark. It decays in the following modes:

pp-

65.3 %

np0

34.7 %

By now the EPSM can probably be written without any more analysis; however, the following analysis of the quarks for the above two decay modes may prove helpful:

L(uds) > p(uud) + p-(u*d)

L(uds) > n(udd) + p-(u*u/d*d)

 

If a u and d quark is eliminated from both the Lambda and proton in the first decay, then s = u + u*d. Again, by eliminating the u and d quarks from both sides in the second decay, it is seen that s = d + u*u/d*d .

 

The Lambda decay products EPSM should lead to a Lambda EPSM that confirms the above analysis. Figure 1-43 shows the proton and a Pi- EPSMs and Figure 1-44 shows the neutron and a Pi 0 EPSMs. The Lambda EPSM as shown in Figure 1-45 leads direct from EPSMs for the decay products.

 

Figure 1-43: The proton and Pi - EPSMs. The Lambda decay products 65.3% of the time.

 

Figure 1-44: The neutron and Pi 0 EPSMs. The Lambda decay products 34.7% of the time.

 

Figure 1-45: The Lambda EPSM.

 

The Lambda particle has a uds quark structure. The Lambda EPSM as shown above in Figure 1-45 can be divided as shown below in Figure 1-46. The u and d quarks can be recognized and the remaining particle is the s quark EPSM.

 

Figure 1-46: The Lamda EPSM divided into u, d and s quarks. The s quark is on the right.

 

Thus, the s quark EPSM is as shown in Figure 1-47. Each dimensionality is assigned either a +1/3 ecu or -1/3 ecu corresponding to its directional orientation . The net electric charge of the strange quark is 3(+1/3 ecu) + 4(-1/3 ecu) = -1/3 ecu. Thus, the strange quark is not really that strange after all. EPSM shows it to be a combination of a first generation d quark and a Pi 0 meson.

 

Figure 1-47: The s quark EPSM. Each dimensionality is assigned either a +1/3 ecu or -1/3 ecu corresponding to its directional orientation.

 

There may be other s quark EPSMs because there are other Pi mesons that can be used.

 

SIGMA AND THE SECOND STRANGENESS

 

SIGMA S

 

Sigma + (uus)

 

The Sigma + baryon decays in the following modes:

pp0

51.7 %

np+

48.3 %

Thus, the Sigma+ EPSM is the one shown in Figure 1-48. The resulting s quark EPSM after removing the two u quarks from the Sigma+ EPSM is shown in Figure 1-49. The second type of s quark is similar to the first s quark except for the ESU which is added as electron and positron segments. The net electric charge is still -1/3 ecu.

 

Figure 1-48: Sigma + EPSM.

 

Figure 1-49: Second type of s quark. It differs from the s quark in Figure 1-47 by the added electron and positron segments. Each dimensionality is assigned either a +1/3 ecu or -1/3 ecu corresponding to its directional orientation.

 

The second type of s quark was somewhat surprising and at first one might not be particularly enthused about it. However, the second s quark will be useful in the colorizing of EPSM.

 

EPSM IN COLORS

 

In "Quarks" Harald Fritzsch provided two experimental results which were discussed in chapter 1 that supported the postulation that each quark comes in three types which are called colors. These results were discussed earlier. The first experimental result was the time correction of 3x3 = 9 (three colors each for the u and d quarks) for the Pi 0 meson decay time. The second experimental result was the production rate correction of three (three colors each for the u, d, and s quarks) in the ratio of the production rate of hadrons to the production rate muon-antimuon pairs.

 

The obvious thing to do now is to count the quarks and see how the numbers fit the experimental results. However, this is not as easy as it may seem at first. As pointed out earlier an argument could be made for either four or maybe eleven d quarks or even more. Only four of the -1/3 particles decay to a u quark and an electron and eleven of the structures appeared to be significantly different from each other. The s quark becomes even harder to truly say what is and is not an s quark. For example, are all forms of the Pi 0 EPSM used? Also, how many types of each quark are used in the actual experiments? However, there is a count of u, d, and s quarks that is simply, logical and fits the experimental results quite well. It is proposed that for the above experimental results:

 

1. There are two u quarks because these can be counted relatively easily,

 

2. There are four d quarks because these are the four -1/3 ecu particles that can decay into u quarks,

 

3. There are eight s quarks because each of the four d quarks can be the basis for two s quark structures (Pi 0 EPSM attached to the electron ESU segment with and without the split ESU segment).

 

Thus, there are two u quark colors, four d quark colors and eight s quark colors within EPSM as they relate to the experimental results. These colors in EPSM are somewhat like isomers in chemistry and an appropriate name would be colorisomers.

 

With the above quark count the Pi 0 decay time correction would be 2x4 = 8 compared to a factor of 9 based on three colors for each quark. In addition, the calculated production rates ratio becomes:

[3(eu)2 + (ed)2 + (es)2 ] / (em)2

 

[2(+2/3)2 + 4(-1/3)2 + 8(-1/3)2] = 20/9 = 2.22

 

The three color model resulted in a calculated value of 2 and the stated experimental results are "about 2.1 or 2.2" according to Harald Fritzsch!

 

Sigma 0 (uds)

 

The Sigma 0 particle decays into mostly Lambda and gammas ; however, it can also decay into Lambda and e+e- . The Lambda EPSM is shown in Figure 1-45. Thus, the Sigma 0 EPSM is represented by the configuration in Figure 1-50. The EPSM indicates that the electron comes from the "baryon" half and the positron comes from the "meson" half. It is noted that the "second" s quark is used here.

 

Figure 1-50: Sigma 0 EPSM.

 

Sigma - (dds)

 

The Sigma - particle decays mostly to n and Pi- and in very small percentage to Lambda, e-, and neutrino. Thus, the Sigma - EPSM is represented by the configuration in Figure 1-51.

 

Figure 1-51: Sigma - EPSM.

 

 

THE Xi PARTICLES X

 

The Xi baryons have two s quarks and they always decay in sequence through the Lambda baryon. The Xi baryons decay by the changing of an s quark to a u quark one at a time through a cascading effect.

 

Xi - (dss)

 

The Xi - baryon decays into Lambda and Pi- which indicates a EPSM configuration shown in Figure 1-52. The Lambda EPSM is shown in Figure 1-45 and the Pi - EPSM is the antiparticle to the Pi + EPSM shown in Figure 1-29.

 

Figure 1-52: Xi - EPSM.

 

Xi 0 (uss)

 

The Xi 0 baryon as it turns out is a little more interesting. Again, the first temptation might be to use a delta particle as the basis for the uss quark structure. However, as stated earlier the Xi baryon all decay through the Lambda baryon; hence the delta particles cannot be the basis. In fact, almost all decays are to Lambda and Pi 0 which implies the EPSM configuration shown in Figure 1-53. Both s quark types as discussed above are represented in this single baryon.

 

Figure 1-53: Xi 0 EPSM with both types of s quarks in the same particle.

 

THE STRANGEST OF ALL

 

OMEGA W

 

Omega (sss)

 

The omega - baryon with its three strange quarks is truly the strangest of particles. One decay mode is to Xi 0 and Pi - which in turn decays to Lambda, Pi 0 and Pi -. Thus, the EPSM is as shown in Figure 1-54 as long as both types of s quarks are used as shown in Figure 1-55. Omega - has a net electric charge of (5-8)/3 = -1.

 

Figure 1-54: Omega - EPSM.

 

Figure 1-55: The three s quarks of Omega - EPSM.

 

THE STRANGE MESONS

 

THE K MESONS or KAON K

 

K- (u*s)

 

One of the decay modes for the K- meson is to Pi - and Pi 0. This decay mode and the quark structure leads to the EPSM shown in Figure 1-56. The u*s quark structure can be seen in Figure 1-57. Another way of looking at the K- EPSM is to view it as two Pi 0 mesons attached to an electron. The K+ meson is the antiparticle to the K- meson and is not shown.

 

Figure 1-56: K- EPSM.

 

Figure 1-57: The u* and s quarks that make up the K - meson.

 

K 0 (d*s)

 

The K 0 meson decays mostly to either Pi+Pi- or Pi0 Pi0. Figure 1-58 provides the EPSM for the K 0 meson.

 

Figure 1-58: K 0 EPSM.

 

Phi (s*s), THE STRANGEST MESON F

 

The phi meson with its s*s quark structure consists of the s antiquark and the s quark. Its EPSM as shown in Figure 1-59 is simple the combination of the two quark structures as shown in Figure 1-60. The phi EPSM also appears to be a Pi +, Pi - and Pi 0 combination.

 

Figure 1-59: Phi EPSM.

 

Figure 1-60: The s* and s quarks within the Phi EPSM.

 

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