High Energy Physics, Final Exam

1. The quark model (Gell-Mann and Zweig, 1964) is a classification for

hadrons in terms of their valence quarks and antiquarks which give rise
to the quantum numbers of the hadrons. Mesons are made of a valence
quark–antiquark pair (thus have a baryon number of 0), while baryons
are made of three quarks (thus have a baryon number of 1).
Concerning the mesons, and having in mind that S(q) = S(q̄) = 1/2,
P (q) = −P (q̄) and C|q q̄i = (−)L+S |q q̄i,

(a) (0.4 p) Classify them according to the J P C (spectroscopic nota-

tion) multiplets, where J, P and C stand for the total angular
momentum, P and C symmetries of the meson, respectively, up
to L = 2.
(b) (0.4 p) Why the 0−− state is forbidden in the quark model? Why
mesons with 0+− , 1−+ , 2+− , 3−+ , etc. are forbidden as well?

With respect to SU (3)-flavour baryons (those made of the light quarks

u, d, s), and knowing that I(u) = I(d) = 1/2, I(s) = 0, S(u) = S(d) = 0,
and S(s) = −1, where I and S stand for the isospin and strangeness
symmetries of the quarks, respectively,

(a) (0.4 p) Classify them according to the (I, S) multiplets. How many
light baryons form each of these multiplets?
(b) (0.4 p) What is the quark substructure and the electric charge Q
of the different 13 light baryons?1

2. Under isospin symmetry the pion states are defined as |π + i ≡ |1, +1i,
|π 0 i ≡ |1, 0i and |π − i ≡ |1, −1i, and the kaons as (|K + i, |K̄ 0 i) ≡
| 12 , + 12 i and (|K 0 i, |K − i) ≡ | 21 , − 21 i, where the notation |I, I3 i is used.

(a) (0.8 p) What are the possible total isospins for the following re-
actions: a) K − + K + → π 0 + π 0 , b) K − + K + → π + + π − , c)
K̄ 0 + K + → π + + π 0 , and d) K̄ 0 + K + → π 0 + π + ?2
(b) (0.6 p) Find the ratio of the cross sections, assuming one or the
other isospin channel dominates.
1
To get the electric charge (in units of the elementary charge e) use the simplified Gell-
Mann–Nishijima formula Q = I3 + (B + S)/2, where I3 is the third component of isospin,
I3 (u) = −I3 (d) = 1/2, and B is the baryon number.
2
To perform such a decomposition use the table of Clebsch-Gordan coefficients.
3. Consider the ABC theory: the theory of three bosons A, B and C with
only one vertex involving the three particles, with Feynman rule given
by a factor −ig.

(a) (0.5 p) Determine the lowest-order amplitude for

A+B →A+B

(There are two diagrams.)

(b) (0.5 p) Find the differential cross section for this process in the CM
frame, assuming mA = mB = m, mC = 0. Express your answer in
terms of the incident energy (of A), EA , and the scattering angle
(for particle A), θ.