Current quark mass

The bulk of the current quarks ( engl. current quark mass ) is the mass of the bare quarks, as in the Lagrangian of quantum chromodynamics ( QCD, the quantum field theory of strong interactions ) is used for the calculation of Feynman diagrams.

Determination

Since quarks have never been observed free ( confinement), but only bound in pairs in mesons or as a three configurations in baryons, the masses of free quarks can not be determined experimentally, but must be extrapolated from theoretical models. For example, arising from lattice QCD calculations, or from calculations with effective theories (chiral perturbation theory ) relations between the masses of various mesons and so-called sum rules from which to draw conclusions about the masses of bare quarks can be drawn:

Comparison with Konstituentenquarkmassen

The curd mass flow are much smaller than the Konstituentenquarkmassen, ie than the masses of the bound quarks; these can reach it by dividing the observed mass of protons and neutrons on the three quarks of which they consist. Most of the mass of the proton and neutron is thus formed by the QCD field energy.