254 CHAPTER 5. ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
This conclusion motivates us to propose a weakton model for sub-lepton, sub-quark, and
sub-mediators (Ma and Wang,2015b), based on the new field theory and the new insights for
the weak and strong interactions presented in the last chapter.
One important theoretical basic for the weakton model is thefield theory developed in
the last chapter. In particular, the weak and strong chargesare responsible for the weak
and strong interactions. The confinement property demonstrated by the weak and strong
interaction potentials give rise to the needed confinement for the weakton constituents of the
composite particles.
Remarkably, the weakton model offers a perfect explanationfor all sub-atomic decays. In
particular, all decays are achieved by 1) exchanging weaktons and consequently exchanging
newly formed quarks, producing new composite particles, and 2) separating the new compos-
ite particles by weak and/or strong forces.
One aspect of this decay mechanism is that now we know the precise constituents of
particles involved in all decays/reactions both before andafter the reaction. It is therefore
believed that the new decay mechanism provides clear new insights for both experimental
and theoretical studies.
This chapter is organized as follows. Sections5.1and5.2recall the basic knowledge of
particle physics and the quark model. Sections5.3and5.4are based entirely on (Ma and Wang,
2015b), with the weakton model introduced in Section5.3, and with the mechanism of sub-
atomic decays and electron radiations presented in Section5.4. The last section, Section5.5
studies the color algebra associated with the color quantumnumber, leading to detailed
structure on mediator clouds around subatomic particles. Section5.5is based entirely on
(Ma and Wang,2014b).
5.1 Basic Knowledge of Particle Physics
5.1.1 Classification of particles
In particle physics, subatomic particles are classified into two basic classes, bosons and
fermions:
bosons = integral spin particles,
fermions = fractional spin particles.
Also, based on their properties and levels, all subatomic particles are currently classified into
four types:
leptons, quarks, mediators, hadrons.In the following, we recall basic definitions and the quantumcharacterizations of these parti-
cles; see among many others (Kane, 1987 ;Griffiths, 2008 ;Halzen and Martin, 1984 ).
1.Leptons.Leptons are fermions which do not participate in the strong interaction, and
consist of three generations:
(
e
νe)
,
(
μ,
νμ)
,
(
τ
ντ