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In particle physics, pion (short for 'pi
meson') is the collective name for three subatomic particles discovered in 1947: π0, π+ and
π−. Pions are the lightest mesons.
Basic properties
Pions have zero spin and are composed of first generation
quarks. An up and an anti-down quark compose a π+, while a down and an
anti-up quark compose the π−, its antiparticle.
Combinations of up and anti-up, or down and anti-down, would both be neutral, but because they have the same quantum numbers are
only found in superpositions. The lowest energy superposition is the π0, which is its own antiparticle.
The π± mesons have a mass of 140 MeV/c2 and a mean
life of 26 × 10−9 seconds. The main decay mode is into an muon and a neutrino:
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The π0 has as slightly smaller mass of 135 MeV/c2 and a much shorter mean life of
84 × 10−18 seconds. The main decay mode is into two photons:
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History
After theoretical work by Hideki Yukawa in 1935 had predicted the
existence of mesons as the carrier particles of the strong
nuclear force, charged pions were found experimentally in 1947 by a team led by Cecil Powell. The age of particle
accelerators had yet to arrive in those days. Instead, the team lifted photographic emulsions by balloon to high altitude,
where they were exposed to cosmic rays. After recovey of the balloon, microscopic inspection of the emulsion revealed the tracks
of charged particles, among which the pions were discovered. Their achievements earned Yukawa in 1949 and Powell in 1950 the Nobel Prize in Physics.
The π0 is more difficult to observe than π±; being electrically neutral it doesn't leave a
track in an emulsion. The π0 was finally identified in 1950 by its decay products.
See also
External link
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