Mesons

Particle

Symbol

Anti-
particle

Makeup

Rest mass
MeV/c2

S

C

B

Lifetime

Decay Modes

Pion

π+

π-

ud

139.6

0

0

0

2.60
x10-8

μ+νμ

Pion

π0

Self

135.0

0

0

0

0.83
x10-16

2γ

Kaon

K+

K-

us

493.7

+1

0

0

1.24
x10-8

μ+νμ,
π+π0

Kaon

K0s

K0s

1*

497.7

+1

0

0

0.89
x10-10

π+π-,2π0

Kaon

K0L

K0L

1*

497.7

+1

0

0

5.2
x10-8

π+e-νe

Eta

η0

Self

2*

548.8

0

0

0

<10-18

2γ, 3μ

Eta
prime

η0'

Self

2*

958

0

0

0

...

π+π-η

Rho

ρ+

ρ-

ud

770

0

0

0

0.4
x10-23

π+π0

Rho

ρ0

Self

uu, dd

770

0

0

0

...

π0π0

Omega

ω0

Self

uu, dd

782

0

0

0

...

π+π-π0

Phi

φ

Self

ss

1020

0

0

0

20
x10-23

K+K-,K0K0

D

D+

D-

cd

1869.4

0

+1

0

10.6
x10-13

K + _, e + _

D

D0

D0

cu

1864.6

0

+1

0

4.2
x10-13

[K,μ,e] + _

D

D+s

D-s

cs

1969

+1

+1

0

4.7
x10-13

K + _

J/Psi

J/ψ

Self

cc

3096.9

0

0

0

0.8
x10-20

e+e-,
μ+μ-...

B

B-

B+

bu

5279

0

0

-1

1.5
x10-12

D0 + _

B

B0

B0

db

5279

0

0

-1

1.5
x10-12

D0 + _

Bs

Bs0

Bs0

sb

5370

0

0

-1

...

B-s + _

Upsilon

ϒ

Self

bb

9460.4

0

0

0

1.3
x10-20

e+e-,
μ+μ-..

Note that an underline indicates an antiparticle.

To
Baryon Table

Mesons are intermediate mass particles which are made up of a quark-antiquark
pair. Three quark combinations are called baryons.
Mesons are bosons,
while the baryons are fermions.

1* The neutral Kaons
K0s and K0L represent symmetric
and antisymmetric mixtures of the quark combinations down-antistrange and
antidown-strange.

2* The neutral eta meson is considered to be a quark combination

Note: In the table, antiquarks are indicated by an underline, e.g.,
ud means a combination of an up and an antidown quark.

Most of the listed decay times are in the range 10-13 to
10-8 s which indicates decay by the weak
interaction. These decays involve quark
transformations which can be represented by Feynman
diagrams.

Meson
diagram

Discussion
of mesons

Index

Particle
concepts

References
Serway
Ch.
47

Giancoli
Ch.
32

Griffiths

Particle
Data Group

HyperPhysics*****
Quantum Physics

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