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RE: What does an experimental particle physicist do: Measure particles!

in #steemstem6 years ago (edited)

I would answer this differently than @lemouth, but the answer would still be indirectly, yes. The simplistic, not entirely correct answer (but good enough to understand) is:

Quarks cannot exist alone, they always come in clumps of 2, 3 or even more. This is one of the consequences of the way quarks interact, described by a theory called Quantum Chromodynamics (three-letter acronym: QCD). But as long as those clumps/composite states interact (so have charge or can be converted into particles with charge, using the first or second bullet in my post) we're good to go and measure them :)

Indeed, when single quarks are produced they quickly 'create' some extra quarks to make a composite particle by any means possible as they cannot exist alone due to QCD, meaning they will use almost all their energy to create quarks (through E=mc^2), and those 'sprays' of new (all composite of 2/3 quarks) particles are called jets. The top quark is a special case which I will discuss in a later blog.

By the way the theory of QCD, and specifically the calculation of the way quarks behave in QCD including this , was recognized by the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics for Gross, Wilczek and Politzer.

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I have actually written some time ago this that may be useful. Please ignore the title ;)