The Kobayashi-Maskawa mechanism

The Kobayashi-Maskawa mechanism explains how certain particles called quarks change from one type to another, a process known as “flavor mixing,” which leads to differences between matter and antimatter. This mechanism requires six types of quarks and introduces a complex phase that allows these transitions to violate symmetry between matter and antimatter—a phenomenon called CP violation. CP violation is important because it helps explain why our universe is made mostly of matter, not antimatter. Essentially, the Kobayashi-Maskawa mechanism shows how the quantum properties of quarks create subtle asymmetries fundamental to the universe’s structure.