What technology allowed gell-mann and zweig to discover quarks?

the technology was based upon a mathematical model which he called as "the eightfold way: a theory of strong interaction symmetry"

explanation:

in 1961 gell-mann had introduced a symmetry scheme he called the eightfold way, which was based on the mathematical symmetry known as su(3). the scheme classified the hadrons into two main groups, rather as the periodic table classifies the chemical elements.

both gell-mann’s quarks and zweig’s aces had to have electrical charges equal to 1/3 or 2/3 that of an electron or proton, suggesting that an experimental search for these constituents would reveal whether or not they existed.

they fired electrons at protons and observed the bouncing off. the scattering patterns were identified and combining these results with others from neutrino-scattering in the gargamelle bubble chamber at cern, it became clear that these constituents really do have charges of 1/3 and 2/3.

gell-mann built upon this work in a new model that could successfully describe – among other things – the magnetic properties of protons and neutrons. but gell-mann's model required the existence of three new elementary particles, which he called "quarks."

a electromagnetic waves