Hexaquark

In particle physics, hexaquarks, alternatively known as sexaquarks,[1] are a large family of hypothetical particles, each particle consisting of six quarks or antiquarks of any flavours. Six constituent quarks in any of several combinations could yield a colour charge of zero; for example a hexaquark might contain either six quarks, resembling two baryons bound together (a dibaryon), or three quarks and three antiquarks.[2] Once formed, dibaryons are predicted to be fairly stable by the standards of particle physics.

A number of experiments have been suggested to detect dibaryon decays and interactions. In the 1990s, several candidate dibaryon decays were observed but they were not confirmed.[3][4][5]

There is a theory that strange particles such as hyperons[6] and dibaryons[7][8] could form in the interior of a neutron star, changing its mass–radius ratio in ways that might be detectable. Accordingly, measurements of neutron stars could set constraints on possible dibaryon properties.[9] A large fraction of the neutrons in a neutron star could turn into hyperons and merge into dibaryons during the early part of its collapse into a black hole [citation needed]. These dibaryons would very quickly dissolve into quark–gluon plasma during the collapse, or go into some currently unknown state of matter.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference sexquarks was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Vijande2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Belz1996 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Stotzer1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference AH2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ambartsumyan1960 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Krivoruchenko1987 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kagiyama1992 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Faessler1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).