Search for fractionally charged particles

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982 · AIP Conf. Proc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5602831

Lackner, K S; Zweig, G

Quarks, the constituents of hadrons and fermion fields of quantum chromodynamics, have fractional charges -1/3e and 2/3e. All charges are integral multiples of 1/3e and not e, as was previously believed. Therefore it is natural to ask if isolated particles of fractional charge exist, either as an intrinsic part of matter, or as particles that can be produced at high energy accelerators. This question can only be answered by experiment, and remains interesting even if quantum chromodynamics turns out to be an absolutely confining theory of quarks. For example, small deviations from the standard version of quantum chromodynamics, or the incorporation of quantum chromodynamics into a more comprehensive theory, could require the existence of free fractionally charged particles.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM
• OSTI ID: 5602831
• Report Number(s): CONF-8205116-; TRN: 85-013254
• Journal Information: AIP Conf. Proc.; (United States), Vol. 93; Conference: 5. international conference on novel results in particle physics, Nashville, TN, USA, 24 May 1982
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
QUARKS
ELECTRIC CHARGES
CHARGED PARTICLE DETECTION
EXPERIMENT PLANNING
QUANTUM CHROMODYNAMICS
REVIEWS
DETECTION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FIELD THEORIES
PLANNING
POSTULATED PARTICLES
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
RADIATION DETECTION
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