Conservation of total baryon number

Definition

Conservation of total baryon number states that the total number of baryons (particles like protons and neutrons) remains constant in an isolated system during any physical process. This principle is crucial for understanding particle interactions and decays.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Baryon number is an additive quantum number, with protons and neutrons each having a baryon number of +1.
2. Antibaryons, such as antiprotons, have a baryon number of -1.
3. The conservation law implies that in any reaction, the sum of the baryon numbers before and after the process must be equal.
4. Violations of baryon number conservation are not observed in standard model physics under normal conditions.
5. Baryogenesis theories explore mechanisms by which small violations might explain the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe.

Review Questions

• What value does a neutron contribute to the total baryon number?
• Explain why a proton-antiproton collision adheres to the conservation of total baryon number.
• Describe a scenario where the conservation of total baryon number is applied in particle decay.

Related terms

Lepton Number: A conserved quantum number representing the difference between the number of leptons and antileptons in a particle interaction.

Quark:

Fundamental particles that combine to form hadrons, such as protons and neutrons, which are subject to baryon number conservation.

Antiparticle: A particle with the same mass as another particle but with opposite electric charge or other properties; for example, an antiproton is an antiparticle of a proton.