2005/02/10 by Malcolm H. Mac Gregor · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions #hep-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1142/s0217751x05021117
published as Int.J.Mod.Phys. A20 (2005) 719-798 · 106 pages, 33 figures, invited review article
openalex publication_date 2005/02/10 · arxiv created 2005/06/03 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In elementary particle theories the fine structure constant α = e 2 /ℏc serves as the coupling constant for lepton interactions (QED), but is assumed to play no role in hadron interactions (QCD). However, experiments have long indicated an α spacing in the lifetimes of the long-lived threshold-state hadrons, and they also suggest an α-related mass structure. Lifetimes and masses are conjugate quantum mechanical variables, so the α-dependence of these two variables is a mutual property. The relevance of α to hadron interactions is an experimental question, independent of theory. In the present paper we first make a detailed analysis of the experimental lifetime data. This analysis demonstrates that out of 156 particles with well-determined lifetimes τ, the 120 short excited-state lifetimes τ<10 -21 sec have a continuum of values, but the 36 long threshold-state lifetimes τ>10 -21 sec occur in α-spaced groups that cleanly sort out the s, c, b quark flavors. These 36 metastable lifetimes also exhibit a factor-of-3 c-to-b "flavor structure" and a pervasive factor-of-2 "hyperfine structure." We then invoke the conjugate relationship between lifetimes and masses to trace out an α-defined set of mass quanta that tie together leptons and hadrons. Mass generation occurs via an initial "α-leap" from an electron pair to a "platform state" M, and then subsequent excitations by a dominant quantum X. The low-mass "MX octet" of particles — μ, p, τ, π, η, η′, K, ϕ — is reproduced to an average accuracy of 0.4%, with no adjustable parameters except a small binding energy for hadronic pairs. Without the inclusion of lepton masses, the spectrum of hadron masses is difficult to understand. These conjugate α-quantized results reinforce the reality of the spin 1/2 u, d, s, c, b quarks, and they also lead to the identification of a closely-related set of spinless mass quanta for the pseudoscalar mesons.