Wiktionary
n. (context physics English) a theory that organizes subatomic particles into octets
Wikipedia
In physics, the Eightfold Way is a term coined by American physicist Murray Gell-Mann for a theory organizing subatomic baryons and mesons into octets (alluding to the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism). The theory was independently proposed by Israeli physicist Yuval Ne'eman and led to the subsequent development of the quark model.
In addition to organizing the mesons and spin- baryons into an octet, the principles of the Eightfold Way also applied to the spin- baryons, forming a decuplet. However, one of the particles of this decuplet had never been previously observed. Gell-Mann called this particle the and predicted in 1962 that it would have a strangeness −3, electric charge −1 and a mass near . In 1964, a particle closely matching these predictions was discovered by a particle accelerator group at Brookhaven. Gell-Mann received the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the theory of elementary particles.
The Eightfold Way may be understood in modern terms as a consequence of flavor symmetries between various kinds of quarks. Since the strong nuclear force affects quarks the same way regardless of their flavor, replacing one flavor of quark with another in a hadron should not alter its mass very much. Mathematically, this replacement may be described by elements of the SU(3) group. The octets and other arrangements are representations of this group.
Eightfold Way may refer to:
- Noble Eightfold Path, Buddhist doctrine
- Eightfold Way (physics), particle-physics theory
- Eightfold Path (policy analysis)
Usage examples of "eightfold way".
The Eightfold Way teaches that all Paths are One, as all Sentience is One.
The eightfold way to treasure, ripe for plundering for one who knows how to come and go.
And still today while the night life of London goes on about us there are mystics and adepts who are seeking the Eightfold Way to perfection in many corners of the Earth.