gluon

American  

[gloo-on] / ˈglu ɒn /

noun

Physics.

1. an unobserved massless particle with spin 1 that is believed to transmit the strong force between quarks, binding them together into baryons and mesons.

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gluon British  

/ ˈɡluːɒn /

noun

1. a hypothetical particle believed to be exchanged between quarks in order to bind them together to form particles

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gluon Scientific  

/ glo̅o̅′ŏn /

1. The subatomic particle that mediates the strong force. The exchange of gluons between two quarks changes the color of the quarks and results in the attractive force holding them together in hadrons. Gluons are bosons.

2. See Table at subatomic particle

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Etymology

Origin of gluon

First recorded in 1970–75; glue + -on ¹

Example Sentences

High energy proton collisions can be pictured as a roiling sea of quarks and gluons, including short lived virtual particles.

From Science Daily

By doing so, researchers aim to recreate the universe's earliest moments and learn how a hot mixture of quarks and gluons eventually formed stable atomic nuclei and, ultimately, all matter.

From Science Daily

The quark-gluon plasma is a unique state of matter where the basic building blocks of protons and neutrons, quarks and gluons, exist freely rather than being confined inside particles.

From Science Daily

This new view of entanglement among quarks and gluons adds a layer of complexity to an evolving picture of protons' inner structure.

From Science Daily

Immediately following the Big Bang, physicists estimate, based on QCD, that the universe was an immensely hot plasma of quarks and gluons that then quickly cooled and combined to produce protons and neutrons.

From Science Daily