What are baryons?

Baryons are subatomic particles made up of three quarks, such as protons and neutrons.

Baryons are a type of subatomic particle that are composed of three quarks. Quarks are elementary particles that come in six different "flavors": up, down, charm, strange, top, and bottom. Baryons are made up of three quarks of different flavors, with the most common baryons being protons and neutrons. Protons are made up of two up quarks and one down quark, while neutrons are made up of two down quarks and one up quark.

Baryons are important in the study of particle physics because they are the building blocks of atomic nuclei. The strong nuclear force, which is responsible for holding the nucleus together, is mediated by the exchange of particles called gluons between the quarks in the baryons. Baryons also play a role in the study of the early universe, as they were created in large numbers during the Big Bang.

In addition to protons and neutrons, there are many other types of baryons that have been discovered, including hyperons, which contain at least one strange quark, and delta particles, which are excited states of the nucleons (protons and neutrons). The study of baryons continues to be an active area of research in particle physics.