A mesonic molecule is a set of two or more
meson
In particle physics, a meson () is a type of hadronic subatomic particle composed of an equal number of quarks and antiquarks, usually one of each, bound together by the strong interaction. Because mesons are composed of quark subparticles, the ...
s bound together by the
strong force. Unlike
baryonic molecules, which form the nuclei of all elements in nature save
hydrogen-1, a mesonic molecule has yet to be definitively observed.
The
X(3872) discovered in 2003 and the
Z(4430) discovered in 2007 by the
Belle experiment are the best candidates for such an observation.
See also
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Meson
In particle physics, a meson () is a type of hadronic subatomic particle composed of an equal number of quarks and antiquarks, usually one of each, bound together by the strong interaction. Because mesons are composed of quark subparticles, the ...
*
Pionium
Pionium is a composite particle consisting of one and one meson. It can be created, for instance, by interaction of a proton beam accelerated by a particle accelerator and a target atomic nucleus, nucleus. Pionium has a short lifetime, predicted ...
*
Tetraquark
References
Hypothetical composite particles
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