Generation (particle physics)

Between generations, particles differ by their flavour quantum number and mass, but their electric and strong interactions are identical.

There are functions used to generalize terms for introduction in a new quark that is an isosinglet and is responsible for generating Flavour-Changing-Neutral-Currents' (FCNC) at tree level in the electroweak sectors.

[6][7] Furthermore, a fourth generation with a 'light' neutrino (one with a mass less than about 45 GeV/c2) has been ruled out by measurements of the decay widths of the Z boson at CERN's Large Electron–Positron Collider (LEP).

[8] Nonetheless, searches at high-energy colliders for particles from a fourth generation continue, but as yet no evidence has been observed.

String theory provides a cause for multiple generations, but the particular number depends on the details of the compactification of the D-brane intersections.

Additionally, E8 grand unified theories in 10 dimensions compactified on certain orbifolds down to 4 D naturally contain 3 generations of matter.