Hyperon facts for kids

Hyperons are special particles that are made of even smaller pieces called quarks. They are a type of baryon, which means they are made of three quarks. What makes hyperons unique is that they always have at least one special quark called a strange quark. They don't have charm quarks or bottom quarks.

Strange quarks have a property called strangeness. This property makes hyperons decay (or break down) differently. Instead of decaying quickly through the strong force, they decay much slower because of the weak force.

All quarks are fermions. This means that no two quarks can be in the exact same place at the same time. Each quark has a property called spin, which is like a tiny internal rotation. For a hyperon, the total spin of its three quarks can add up to 3/2. However, particles with a spin of 3/2 quickly change into particles with a spin of 1/2.

What are Hyperons?

Hyperons are a family of particles that are part of the larger group called baryons. Baryons are particles made of three quarks. Protons and neutrons, which make up the center of atoms, are also baryons. Hyperons are different because they always contain at least one strange quark.

The Strange Quark

The strange quark is one of the six types of quarks. It has a special property called "strangeness." This property was named because particles containing strange quarks behaved in unexpected ways when they were first discovered.

• How Strangeness Affects Decay: Normally, particles decay very quickly through the strong force. But particles with strangeness, like hyperons, can't decay this way. Instead, they decay through the much slower weak force. This means hyperons live a bit longer than other particles that decay via the strong force.

How Hyperons Decay

Hyperons eventually break down into other, more stable particles. This process is called radioactive decay. As mentioned, hyperons decay because of the weak force. There are many different kinds of hyperons, and each can decay in several ways.

• Lambda Hyperons: One common type is the Λ (lambda) hyperon, often written as Λ⁰. It has no electric charge.
  • When a Λ⁰ hyperon decays, it usually turns into a proton and an antipion.
  • Sometimes, though less often, it can also decay into a neutron and an uncharged pion.
• Lifespan: Λ⁰ hyperons have a very short average lifespan, about 2.6 x 10⁻¹⁰ seconds. Even though this sounds incredibly fast, it's considered one of the longest lifespans for a hyperon!

Why Study Hyperons?

Scientists around the world are still studying hyperons in big laboratories like CERN in Switzerland, Fermilab in the United States, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

• Unlocking Secrets of the Universe: By studying hyperons, scientists hope to answer big questions about how the universe works. For example, they help us understand something called CP Violation. This is a puzzle where some symmetries (or balances) in nature that were thought to be perfectly true might not be. Understanding CP Violation is important for explaining why there is so much matter in the universe and so little antimatter.

See also

In Spanish: Hiperón para niños