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Particle physics

Backyard exotica

Nature volume 404, pages 452–453 (2000)Cite this article

All atoms follow the same body plan. They consist of a small, massive nucleus of positive charge surrounded by a cloud of negative electrons, bound together by the electromagnetic force. One might say that all atoms belong to a single phylum. Hadrons, elementary particles that are governed by the strong nuclear force, are known to populate three extremely well documented phyla. Baryons (such as protons and neutrons) are based on three quarks having different colour charges, one each of red, white and blue. Antibaryons are similarly constructed from triads of antiquarks, and mesons are based on bound quark–antiquark pairs, carrying equal and opposite colour charges. Each of these hadron phyla supports dozens of species. For many years now, physicists have been on the lookout for exotic new species, requiring more hadron phyla. We might now have the first hint from a theoretical analysis by Alford and Jaffe1 of something suitably exotic.

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References

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  1. Institute for Advanced Study, School of Natural Sciences, Olden Lane, Princeton , 08540, New Jersey, USA

    Frank Wilczek

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  1. Frank Wilczek
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Correspondence to Frank Wilczek.

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Wilczek, F. Backyard exotica. Nature 404, 452–453 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35006549

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35006549

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