GATE 2020 PH – Question 18
The strong process is $\pi^++p\to K^++X$. Given quark content $K^+=u\bar s$, the quark content of X is
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Correct answer: (C) $uus$
Explanation
Charge conservation requires X to have charge +1, and baryon-number conservation makes it a baryon. The initial strangeness is zero, while $K^+=u\bar s$ has strangeness +1. Strong interactions conserve strangeness, so X must have strangeness −1. The combination uus has charge +1, baryon number 1 and one strange quark: the $\Sigma^+$ baryon. Select C.