Post #3342627

DID YOU KNOW THAT BESIDES MESONS (QUARK + ANTIQUARK) AND BARYONS (THREE QUARKS), PHYSICISTS HAVE OBSERVED EXOTIC HADRONS SUCH AS TETRAQUARKS (FOUR QUARK CONSTITUENTS) AND PENTAQUARKS (FIVE QUARK CONSTITUENTS)? LIKE ALL HADRONS, THEY MUST BE COLOR NEUTRAL OVERALL. TETRAQUARKS CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS EITHER A DIQUARK–ANTIDIQUARK PAIR OR SOMETHING RESEMBLING TWO BOUND MESONS, WHILE PENTAQUARKS CAN RESEMBLE A BARYON BOUND TO A MESON. BECAUSE TETRAQUARKS CONTAIN AN EVEN NUMBER OF QUARK CONSTITUENTS THEY ARE BOSONS, WHILE PENTAQUARKS CONTAIN AN ODD NUMBER AND ARE FERMIONS. THEIR TOTAL SPINS ARE NOT FIXED, HOWEVER; A TETRAQUARK CAN HAVE SPIN 0, 1, OR 2, AND A PENTAQUARK CAN HAVE SPIN 1/2, 3/2, 5/2, OR OTHER VALUES DEPENDING ON HOW THE QUARK SPINS AND ORBITAL MOTION COMBINE. :blobcatred: :blobcatblue: :blobcatgreen: :blobcatrainbow: