Antiup Quark
Composition :
Statistics : Generation :
Family :
Interaction forces :
Symbol :
Antiparticle :
Mass :
Decays into :
Electric charge :
Color charge
Spin :
Weak isospin :
Baryon Number :
Elementary antiparticle
Fermionic
First
Quark
strong, weak,
electromagnetic force
gravity
u
Up quark ( ū )
2.2 (+0.5/-0.4) MeV/c²
stable or down quark +
positron + electron neutrino
-⅔ e
Yes
¹/₂
LH : + ¹/₂; RH : 0
-1/3
Definition
The antiup quark, often denoted as "ū" or "anti-u," is the antiparticle counterpart of the up quark. Antiparticles have opposite electric charges and other quantum numbers compared to their corresponding particles.
Antiparticles and Quark-Antiquark Pairs:
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Antiparticles are particles with the same mass as their corresponding particles but with opposite electric charge and other quantum numbers.
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The antiup quark is the antiparticle of the up quark, which means it has an electric charge of -2/3e, in contrast to the up quark's +2/3e charge.
Quantum Numbers of the Antiup Quark:
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The antiup quark carries a negative electric charge of -2/3e, which is the opposite of the up quark's charge.
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Like other quarks, the antiup quark also possesses color charge. Quarks come in three "colors" (red, green, blue), while antiquarks come in anticolors (anticolor charges: antired, antigreen, antiblue).
Role in Particle Interactions:
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Antiquarks, including the antiup quark, participate in strong force interactions just like their corresponding quarks. They can combine with quarks to form mesons, which are color-neutral bound states.
Quantum Field Theory (QFT) and Antiparticles:
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In the framework of quantum field theory (QFT), quarks and antiquarks are described as excitations of their respective fields.
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Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is the quantum field theory that governs the strong nuclear force and describes the interactions between quarks and gluons. Antiquarks interact with gluons in a manner consistent with the theory.
Experimental Observations:
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Antiparticles, including antiquarks, have been observed in high-energy particle physics experiments. These experiments confirm the predictions of the Standard Model of particle physics, which includes quarks and antiquarks.
Combinations with anti up-quarks
Particles composed of at least one anti-up quark can be categorized into several groups, including mesons and baryons. These particles are an integral part of the Standard Model of particle physics and play a crucial role in our understanding of subatomic particles. Here is a structured overview of some of these particles:
Pseudoscalar Mesons:
Mesons are composite particles made up of a quark and an antiquark. When at least one of these quarks is an anti-up quark, we have the following examples:
π⁰ (Pion)
Composed of an up quark and an anti-up quark. It has a positive charge and is a meson in the isospin triplet. See figure 14
π- (Pion):
Composed of a down quark and an anti-up quark. It has a negative charge and is also a meson in the isospin triplet.
K- (Kaon)
Composed of a strange quark and an anti-up quark. It has a positive charge and belongs to the strangeness-changing meson family.
Eta mesons (η) and (η’)
The exact composition of η = (uū + d + 2s )/
The exact composition of η’ = (uū + d + s )/
See figure 16
D-mesons (D0 and D*)
B-mesons (B-)
T-Mesons (T0)
T-mesons are hypothetical mesons. Because of the top quark’s short lifetime, T-mesons are not expected to be found in nature.
Vector mesons
ρ-meson
K-meson (K*)
w-meson
The exact composition of ω :
See figure 22
D*-meson
Baryons
Baryons are typically composed of three quarks, and the most common types involve up and down quarks. However, in theory, exotic baryons with different combinations of quarks, including anti-up quarks, could exist. These are not commonly observed in nature or in experiments due to the rarity and instability of such particles
In theory, following baryons could be possible :
Σ+ (Sigma-plus): Composed of an up quark, an up quark, and an anti-up quark. It has a positive charge and is part of the sigma baryon family.
Σ- (Sigma-minus): Composed of a strange quark, a down quark, and an anti-up quark. It has a negative charge and is another member of the sigma baryons.
Σ0 (Sigma-zero): Composed of a strange quark, an up quark, and an anti-up quark. It is neutral and belongs to the sigma baryon family.
These theoretical baryons are subject of the study of exotic hadrons.
Exotic Hadrons
These are less commonly seen in nature and are more complex than ordinary mesons and baryons:
Tetraquarks – Several tetraquark candidates have been reported by particle physics experiments in the 21st century. The quark contents of these states are almost all qqQQ, where q represents a light (up, down or strange) quark, Q represents a heavy (charm or bottom) quark, and antiquarks are denoted with an overline. The existence and stability of tetraquark states with the qqQQ (or qqQQ) have been discussed by theoretical physicists for a long time, however these are yet to be reported by experiments [1]
In 2007, Belle announced the observation of the Z(4430) state, a c dū tetraquark candidate. It has the spin quantum number JP=1+
In 2022, the LHCb at CERN detected a new tetraquark made up of a charm quark, a strange antiquark and an up antiquark and down quark
Figure 55 - π⁻ meson (dū) (Pion)
Figure 56 - K- meson (sū) (Kaon)
Figure 57 - D0 and D* meson (cū)
Figure 58 - B- meson (bū)
Figure 59 - T-meson (T0) (tū)
Figure 61 - K*-mesum (sū)
Figure 60 - ρ-meson (dū)
(21)
(22)
Figure 63 - Tetraquark Z(4430)
Figure 64 - Tetraquark
Figure 62 - D*-meson (cū)
Creation of antiup quarks
The creation of anti-up quarks, like other fundamental particles, is closely tied to the early moments of the universe and its subsequent evolution. To understand how anti-up quarks were created from the beginning of the universe until now, we need to delve into the framework of the Big Bang theory and the subsequent history of particle physics.
The Big Bang: According to the prevailing cosmological model, the universe began approximately 13.8 billion years ago with a hot, dense state known as the Big Bang. At this moment, the fundamental forces of nature were unified, and the universe was filled with extremely high-energy particles.
Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP): In the first fractions of a second after the Big Bang, the universe was incredibly hot and energetic, with temperatures exceeding trillions of degrees Celsius. During this epoch, matter existed in a state called quark-gluon plasma (QGP). In the QGP, quarks, including anti-up quarks, and gluons, which are particles that mediate the strong nuclear force, were not confined within hadrons (like protons and neutrons) but freely roamed.
Hadronization: As the universe expanded and cooled, the QGP underwent a phase transition called hadronization. During this process, quarks and antiquarks combined to form hadrons, which include mesons (quark-antiquark pairs) and baryons (like protons and neutrons, which consist of three quarks). This is when anti-up quarks began to combine with other quarks to form anti-baryons, anti-mesons, and other hadrons.
Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB): As the universe continued to expand and cool, it reached a point where it became transparent to photons. This is when the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) was emitted. By this time, most of the anti-up quarks had combined with other quarks to form stable particles.
Cosmic Evolution: Over billions of years, the universe continued to evolve. Matter and anti-matter particles interacted and annihilated each other, resulting in a slight excess of matter (baryon asymmetry). This excess led to the formation of structures like galaxies, stars, and planets, where stable particles, including anti-up quarks, played a crucial role.
Particle Interactions: In the universe today, anti-up quarks continue to be created in high-energy particle collisions, such as those occurring in particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In these collisions, tremendous amounts of energy are concentrated into a small space and time, allowing for the creation of various particles, including anti-up quarks.
Pair Production: In high-energy environments, such as those found in particle colliders, the energy can be converted into mass, following Einstein's famous equation E=mc2. This can lead to the creation of particle-antiparticle pairs, including anti-up quarks.
Scattering Processes: Particle scattering experiments involve firing high-energy particles at target particles and studying the outcomes. In these interactions, quark-antiquark pairs, including anti-up quarks, can be created.
Hadronization in Jets: When high-energy quarks or gluons are produced, they undergo a process called hadronization, where they combine to form color-neutral hadrons. This process can result in the creation of mesons or baryons that contain anti-up quarks.
Annihilation Processes: In certain environments, quarks and antiquarks can come into contact and annihilate each other, producing energy or other particles. This can include processes where anti-up quarks are involved.
Decay Processes: Some particles containing up quarks can decay into particles containing anti-up quarks. For example, a particle containing an up quark might decay into a particle containing an anti-up quark and other particles.
Examples : Lambda (Λ⁰) decay (Figure 26)
Sigma (Σ+) decay (Figure 27)
Xi (Ξ+) and (Ξ-) decay (Figure 28) and (Figure 29)
Delta (Δ) decay (Figure 31)
Omega (Ω) decay (Figure 32)
See also examples in Up Quark chapter
Cosmic Rays: Some anti-up quarks are also produced in cosmic ray interactions with the Earth's atmosphere. Cosmic rays are high-energy particles, often originating from distant astrophysical sources, that bombard the Earth. When they collide with atmospheric particles, they can generate a cascade of secondary particles, which may include anti-up quarks.
Decay Process
The process by which antimatter decays is called "annihilation," which occurs when an antimatter particle, such as a positron, comes into contact with a matter particle, such as an electron. When this happens, the two particles annihilate each other, releasing a large amount of energy in the form of gamma rays.
Annihilation
See annihilation in the up-quark in chapter
References
[1] Si-Qiang, Luo; Kan, Chen; Xiang, Liu; Yan-Rui, Liu; Shi-Lin, Zhu (25 October 2017). "Exotic tetraquark states with the qqQQ configuration" (PDF). European Physical Journal C. 77:709 (10). doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-5297-4. S2CID 119377466. Retrieved 26 November 2017