Re:LHCb experiment discovers a new pentaquark
by andrepd on Wednesday March 27, 2019 @09:51AM
(#19500775)
Quantum chromodynamics (the theory which describes the strong interaction) has a feature called colour confinement, which says that quarks will favour being in colourless configuration (where colourless = zero colour charge). The two easiest ways for this to happen are in mesons (two quarks: one quark and one antiquark of the same colour, like red + antired = colourless), or in baryons (three quarks: 1 red + 1 green + 1 blue = colourless) like the familiar proton and neutron. However other configurations are possible, these are just the simplest ones. In certain incredibly difficult to attain conditions, we can avoid producing either a two- or three-quark composite particle but produce instead a five-quark particle (e.g. 1 red + 1 green + 1 blue + 1 red + 1 antired = colourless).
This "colour" means colour charge, it doesn't have any relation to the regular meaning of "colour of light".
This "colour" means colour charge, it doesn't have any relation to the regular meaning of "colour of light".