Kaon (source code)

= Kaon
{title2=$K$}
{wiki}

A <kaon> is a strange <meson>. The ground-state flavor assignments are $K^+=u\bar s$ and $K^0=d\bar s$, with <antikaons> $K^-=s\bar u$ and $\bar K^0=s\bar d$. These ground states have spin-parity $0^-$. The anti-strange assignments have <strangeness> $+1$, with the opposite sign for their antiparticles.<Review of Particle Physics by Particle Data Group (2022)>[Strange Mesons summary table, p. 1: valence content and quantum numbers]{ref}

Charged and neutral kaons differ in more than <electric charge>. Through <neutral kaon mixing>, the neutral flavor states combine into propagation states with markedly different decay behavior. Their time-dependent decays provide sensitive tests of <CP violation>. Specifying whether a label denotes a flavor state or a propagation state is therefore essential when describing a neutral-kaon experiment.