Downquarken

Downquarken is a term used in physics to describe a hypothetical process where a down quark would transform into an up quark. This transformation would involve the emission of an elementary particle, typically a W boson. The down quark is a type of fundamental particle known as a fermion, and it carries a fractional electric charge of -1/3 *e* and a weak isospin of -1/2. The up quark, on the other hand, has an electric charge of +2/3 *e* and a weak isospin of +1/2.

This down quark decay is mediated by the weak nuclear force. According to the Standard Model of particle physics, such a process is possible. However, the down quark is a constituent of protons and neutrons, which are stable particles. If downquarken were to occur readily, protons and neutrons would decay, leading to a universe vastly different from the one we observe.

The observed stability of protons, in particular, places stringent limits on the rate at which downquarken can happen. While theoretically possible, the probability of a down quark undergoing this transformation is extremely low, if it occurs at all as a standalone process. Experimental searches for proton decay have not yielded any positive results, suggesting that if downquarken is a decay mode of the down quark, it is either extremely rare or suppressed by conservation laws not fully accounted for in some theoretical extensions.