Omega-Minus

Plate 52 speaks for itself: “Predicted, then found.”

The Physics

In the baryon decuplet the masses step up by roughly equal amounts with each strange quark. Gell-Mann predicted the missing triple-strange baryon and its mass; it was found in 1964.

1232 → 1385 → 1533 → 1672 (MeV)

• masses: Δ, Σ*, Ξ*, Ω⁻ rest energies, MeV (1 MeV = 1.602×10⁻¹³ J)

Predicted ~1680 MeV, strangeness −3. Found 1964: Brookhaven bubble chamber.

Sources

• V. E. Barnes et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 12, 204 (1964).
• Particle Data Group (2024).

On the poster

Plate 052, “Omega-Minus”: the pixel-art plate with its slogan “Predicted, then found.”, the key equation and the facts panel shown above. Pixelated Physics. Physics. Personified.