SUBATOMIC

PART

We and all things around us

are made of atoms

Atom ~ 10-10 m
= 0.0000000001 m

Atoms
Atoms are all similarly made of:
- protons and neutrons in the
nucleus
- electrons orbiting around
proton
The electron was
the
first elementary
particle to be
discovered
(JJ Thomson 1897)

Protons,
neutrons
are made
up of
quarks
electron

neutron

From the atom to the quark

How small are the smallest constituents of
matter?

Atoms and sub-atomic particles are much smaller than visible light wave-length
Therefore, we cannot really see them (all graphics are artists impressions)
To learn about the sub-atomic structure we need particle accelerators

SUBATOMIC PARTICLE

HADRONS

LEPTON

SUBATOMIC PARTICLE

HADRONS

LEPTON

Particles that interact with

Particles that interact with
each other through all
each other through all
fundamental forces
fundamental forces except
Eg : gravity, electromagnet,
strong force
weak force ,strong force

SUBATOMIC PARTICLE

HADRONS

BARYONS

LEPTON

MESONS

SUBATOMIC PARTICLE

HADRONS

BARYONS

LEPTON

MESONS

NOT FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLE

CAN BE SPLIT INTO SMALLER
PARTICLE KNOWN AS

QUARK

Quark
UP
u

Down
d

Charme
d
C

Strange
S

Top
t

Bottom
B

Charge :
+2/3

Charge :
-1/3

These are only

stable quarks. They
make up all normal
matter. Eg : Proton &
Neutron

Matter / Antimatter
For

each particle, there is an equivalent

antiparticle.
The antiparticle is different from the
particle only in terms of the overall
charge.
For example, the antiparticle of the
proton is the antiproton, p

Quark
UP
u

Down
d

antiUP
u

antiDown
d

Charmed
C

Strange
S

antiChar
med
C

antiStran
ge
S

Top
t

Bottom
B

antiTop
t

antiBotto
m
B

Charge :
+2/3

Charge :
-1/3

Charge :
-2/3

Charge :
+1/3

SUBATOMIC PARTICLE

HADRONS

BARYONS

LEPTON

MESONS

Particle which is a proton or can decay in to

proton
Usually made up of three quarks
Eg : Proton, Neutron , Antiproton , Antineutron

Protons and neutrons in the quark

model
Quarks have fractional electric charge!
u electric charge + 2/3
d electric charge 1/3
proton (charge +1)

u
2
u
3

2 1
u d p 1
3 3

neutron (charge 0)

2 1 1
u d d n 0
3 3 3

SUBATOMIC PARTICLE

HADRONS

BARYONS

LEPTON

MESONS
Hadron that cannot decay into proton
Particles made of pair of quarks (quark and
Antiquark)

BARYON & MESON

Baryon (Baryon number = 1)

Meson (Baryon number = 0)

+ (delta plus)

K+ (ka plus)

0 (delta zero)

K0 (ka zero)

- (delta minus)

K- (ka minus)

(lambda)

( phi)

n0 (neutron)

+ (pi plus)

p+ (proton)

0 (pi zero)

+ (sigma plus)

- (pi minus)

0 (sigma zero)

- (sigma minus)

 MESONS

Eg:
A + (pi plus) meson is made up of 1
up quark and an anti - down quark, {u,
d } while a - (pi minus) meson is
made up of 1 anti - up quark and 1
down quark { u ,d}.
A K+ (ka plus) meson is made up of 1 up
quark and a anti strange quark, {u,s }
while a K- (ka minus) meson is made up
of 1 anti-up quark and 1 strange quark {
u, s}.

SUBATOMIC PARTICLE

HADRONS

BARYONS

LEPTON

MESONS

Particles that interact with

each other through all
fundamental forces except
strong force
Fundamental particle : cant
be spitted into smaller
particle

LEPTON
Leptons
Electron
Mu minus
Tau minus
Electron neutrino
Mu neutrino
e
Tau
neutrino

Anti- Leptons
Anti electron (Positron)
Mu plus
Tau plus
Electron antineutrino
Mu antineutrino
Tau antineutrino

Symbol
ee

Symbol
e+
+
+