 | |
| Composition | Elementary particle |
|---|---|
| Statistics | Fermion |
| Family | Quark |
| Generation | Second |
| Interactions | strong, electromagnetic, weak, gravity |
| Symbol | c |
| Antiparticle | Charm antiquark ( c ) |
| Theorized |
|
| Discovered |
|
| Mass | 1.27±0.02 GeV/c2 |
| Electric charge | +2/3 e |
| Color charge | Yes |
| Spin | 1/2 ħ |
| Weak isospin | LH: +1/2, RH: 0 |
| Weak hypercharge | LH: +1/3, RH: +4/3 |
| Standard Model of particle physics |
|---|
 |
The charm quark, charmed quark, or c quark is an elementary particle found in composite subatomic particles called hadrons such as the J/psi meson and the charmed baryons created in particle accelerator collisions. Several bosons, including the W and Z bosons and the Higgs boson, can decay into charm quarks. All charm quarks carry charm, a quantum number. This second-generation particle is the third-most-massive quark, with a mass of 1.27±0.02 GeV/c2 as measured in 2022, and a charge of +2/3 e.
The existence of the charm quark was first predicted by James Bjorken and Sheldon Glashow in 1964,[1][2][3] and in 1970, Glashow, John Iliopoulos, and Luciano Maiani showed how its existence would account for experimental and theoretical discrepancies.[4] In 1974, its existence was confirmed through the independent discoveries of the J/psi meson at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. In the next few years, several other charmed particles, including the D meson and the charmed strange mesons, were found.
In the 21st century, a baryon containing two charm quarks has been found. There is recent evidence that intrinsic charm quarks exist in the proton, and the coupling of the charm quark and the Higgs boson has been studied. Recent evidence also indicates CP violation in the decay of the D0 meson, which contains the charm quark.