https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/s13129-023-00061-4
Regular Article
From concrete quarks to QCD: a personal perspective
Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, OX1 3PU, Oxford, UK
a
c.llewellyn-smith@physics.ox.ac.uk
Received:
13
December
2019
Accepted:
29
September
2023
Published online:
14
November
2023
The simple story line that ‘Gell-Mann and Zweig invented quarks in 1964 and the quark model was generally accepted after 1968 when deep inelastic electron scattering experiments at SLAC showed that they are real’ contains elements of the truth, but is not true. This paper describes the origins and development of the quark model until it became generally accepted in the mid-1970s, as witnessed by a spectator and some-time participant who joined the field as a graduate student in October 1964. It aims to ensure that the role of Petermann is not overlooked, and Zweig and Bjorken get the recognition they deserve, and to clarify the role of Serber.
The original online version of this article was revised: The last sentence of section 6 is incorrect and should read “in September 1970”, not “in September 1969”.
A correction to this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/s13129-024-00074-7.
Copyright comment corrected publication 2024
© The Author(s) 2023. corrected publication 2024
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